#Togetherness

Human Nature Rooted in Goodness and Togetherness

Building from that foundation, the phrase “made for goodness” suggests that ethics is not merely a set of external rules imposed on us. Instead, goodness appears as a natural direction of the human spirit, something we fulfill rather than suppress when we act justly. This idea echoes Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (c. 340 BC), where virtue is treated as the fulfillment of human flourishing rather than a denial of it. At the same time, Tutu’s wording is refreshingly universal. He does not reserve goodness for saints or heroes; he speaks of all people. That broad claim invites us to see kindness in ordinary acts—a neighbor sharing food, a stranger offering help—as evidence that moral beauty is woven into daily life, not confined to exceptional moments. [...]

Thanksgiving as a Season of Shared Gratitude

Beyond the meal itself, simple rituals reinforce the spirit of the day. Families may go around the table sharing what they are thankful for, write gratitude notes, or volunteer at shelters and food banks. Such acts transform abstract appreciation into concrete gestures, aligning words with deeds. Even watching a parade or a football game together can become a shared narrative, retold in later years as part of a family’s lore. Through these patterns, Thanksgiving becomes a recurring anchor point, reminding people annually to slow down, look around, and recognize the value of those who gather with them. [...]

Rivers of Time, Moonlight Shared Across Ages

At the outset, Yang Shen’s image of the Yangtze sweeping east—its waves “washing away” fallen champions—offers a stark meditation on impermanence. History’s pageantry, he implies, dissolves into foam, as fame proves no match for time’s current. Popularly placed at the opening of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and traced to Yang Shen’s ci poem Linjiangxian (Ming, c. 16th century), the couplet compresses entire dynasties into a single watery gesture. The river, ever-moving, becomes history’s impartial editor: it preserves the landscape yet erases names. Thus the scene is not merely elegiac; it is diagnostic, urging humility before the ceaseless motion that outlives all triumphs. [...]