Thanksgiving — and forgiveness, too

To the editor,

I write suggesting an addition to our traditional national holiday: Thanksgiving and Forgiveness.

During some of my darkest days, I came to listen to Dr. Arthur Calliandro of the Marble Collegiate Church here in New York City on WOR radio every Sunday night at 7 p.m. I don’t think I missed a Sunday in 20 years. Not a Sunday passed that Dr. Calliandro did not talk about forgiveness. Though I am Jewish, and do not believe in the basic tenants of Christianity, I came to learn about this very important tenant of the Christian faith.

As we experience, almost on a weekly basis, anger so intense as to murder numerous people out of what must be anger, adding Forgiveness to our traditional holiday of Thanksgiving might to some extent affect this madness.  These senseless mass murders are an extreme manifestation of anger. Forgiveness might also deal with some of the less severe expressions of anger and dissatisfaction that permeates our society today.

Dr. Calliandro passed on Dec. 30, 2012 and to my knowledge did not define forgiveness, so I looked it up in the dictionary: “to cease to be angry or bitter toward a person or offense.” We as Americans could do more of that. It is my view we would be a better country on many levels.

So it is my recommendation that this Nov. 26 and henceforth, we celebrate the holiday of “Thanksgiving and Forgiveness.”

Howard Ring