THE CROWD:

Today is Thanksgiving. The inclusive American holiday that welcomes everyone to the table.

It is not about gift giving. Rather, the bounty of the earth is given to us. We celebrate with sustenance, and some offer prayer; others appreciation for the food of life that is the cornerstone of survival.

Symbolically, at least, we open our home and table to all who may come and share.

Some work for the disenfranchised and serve meals on this day in public kitchens in towns large and small across our nation. Sadly, the spirit of sharing the bounty and unity of man is fleeting.

The American ideal, the message of freedom, opportunity and goodwill, the very meaning of Thanksgiving has not been lost but it has been seriously tarnished by human traits of greed, selfishness and heartless disregard for others.

Not “others� in distant lands, although some might argue that America’s collective foreign policy is seriously fractured.

Others in our families, workplaces, schools and communities; others we treat with callous abandon.

In the race for prosperity, and there is nothing wrong with prosperity per se, we have lost honor, civility and common decency.

We have become a nation that is self-absorbed with individual rights over common good. In this grand march toward the pinnacle of individual freedom we have fallen off the path to the Promised Land. Simply, individual rights and the common good must be synonymous.

Americans should know better than most people that there is no such thing as “separate but equal.�

As freedom-loving peoples celebrated the fall of communism and its oppressive tactics perhaps most symbolized by the tearing down of the Berlin Wall during America’s prosperous Reagan years, my own personal viewpoint was actually one of concern for democracy.

Inasmuch as communism crumbled under the burden of oppression and the lack of opportunity for its citizens yearning to improve their individual and collective lives (as well as a serious lack of cash forcing the socialist model to fail), so too is democracy vulnerable to a similar fate as the result of unchecked greed.

Opposite positions on the world pendulum, with the same result.

We are there today, and there should be no doubt about how we came to this point.

America may have begun as a radical rogue assemblage of individuals seeking freedom from the religious, social and financial oppression of a monarchy, however, the strength and greatness of this nation has always come from its middle ground, the so-called moral majority of well-meaning folks who chose tolerance over hate, inclusiveness over segregation, and welcome all to their metaphoric Thanksgiving table.

Race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, land of birth/origin, economic status, talent, brain power, or any other human attribute that may divide us in some fashion does not trump the true American spirit of goodwill to all who come in the same lofty spirit and work hard and honorably to attain their own personal goals.

On this Thanksgiving Day let us think about who we are, what we stand for, and how we can return to the righteous path.

There is an expression that is appropriate on Thanksgiving: There is no I in the word “team.�

Conversely, and appropriately, only in America can the team support and enable the dreams, talents, and lofty goals of the millions of “I’s� that make up the entirety of this land, this world.

As the society columnist for The Daily Pilot I am the fortunate observer year-round of people in this community, rich, poor, and in between who participate in a multitude of endeavors that do make a collective major difference in many lives.

Some people are selfish and clearly superficial in their pursuit of glory, but most are genuine and their service is personal, heartfelt and filled with goodwill.

I have watched this community grow in this positive spirit for nearly 20 years (hard to believe), and I am convinced it is only the beginning of incredible possibilities ahead.

In Orange County, as in America, the moral majority has the vision to survive the troubled times, overcome the unfounded fears, and rise above the selfishness that will not destroy us.

Happy Thanksgiving to the great and wonderful society at large, all of whom make this part of the American landscape a community in which we can all be proud.

THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays.