This Thanksgiving, Don't Be Like Santa Claus
In 325 AD, over 300 bishops from around the Christian world came together to debate the nature of the Trinity; and more specifically, the divine nature of Jesus in regards to his relationship with God the Father. This gathering was called The Council of Nicaea. In attendance was Saint Nicholas of Myra, a Greek Bishop whom little is known about, and Arius, an Egyptian presbyter, a priest most known for the doctrine of Arianism.
Legend has it, that while Arius was speaking, Saint Nicholas became so enraged by his views that he got up, crossed the room, and slapped Arius across the face. Our beloved Santa Claus, known commercially as the cheery man who gives gifts to millions, wasn’t so kind that day.
While the story itself is humorous, it just goes to show that for thousands of year, human beings—yes, including Santa Claus—have had a difficult time conversing with others that hold an opposing view. Indeed, how many of us at family gatherings have wanted, like Saint Nicholas, to get up and slap someone across the face for what they believe? And if not slap, then how many of us start to fume or get red in the face? Or grow uncomfortably silent?
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog on polarization and partisanship surrounding pro-life politics. You can read that here. One of the more striking statistics from that piece are what behavioral economists M. Keith Chen and Ryne Rohla found during their 2015 and 2016 study using smartphone location data. They concluded that politically diverse Thanksgiving dinners were 30 to 50 minutes shorter than ones that were more politically aligned. While that may not seem that much, it’s a 12-19% reduction from total dinner time.
While a story about Santa slapping a fellow priest comes across as hilarious to us as readers, the modern situation we find ourselves in is actually quite devastating. Polarization isn’t necessarily new, but it is newly emboldened and wreaking havoc on family gatherings, relationships, and our ability to have difficult, yet cordial conversations.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, and whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other December holiday, we should all remember to lead with love, to converse with empathy. We are more than the conversations we have, and we are more than what we believe, whether it’s right, left, or center. All of us share a commonality as human beings, and all of us have value. Yes, even those trapped in the throes of misinformation, and even those that are so far across the political divide it takes a telescope to see them clearly.
Next week, as many of us gather together to give thanks and spend time with family, let’s truly listen to one another. Let’s remember to engage with kindness and understanding. When we disagree, let’s remember that we can still choose to love. After all, the past two years have been difficult for us all in a myriad of ways.
A COUPLE MORE THINGS
1) Adam Kinzinger’s comments about polarization in this video:
"Too many have chosen argument over answers, tribes over solutions and name-calling over working together," Kinzinger said. "It's an epidemic that's poisoning our relationships and our government." He said that the current divide is threatening the future of the country and "rotting us from within."
2) Rep. Cheney’s comments at the “First Amendment Award Celebration”
“In this time of testing, will we do our duty? Will we do what we must? Will we defend our Constitution? Will we stand for truth? Will we put duty to our oath above partisan politics? Or will we look away from the danger, ignore the threat, embrace the lies and enable the liar?”