Every year around this time I talk to one or two people who tell me that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday, and sometimes they go further to explain to me why that is: no rushing and fussing, like Christmas; lots of good food and free time; an extra long weekend.

Honestly, I find this attitude a little depressing, because it reveals a mostly selfish interest about a holiday that’s intended to be exactly the opposite of selfish. Usually, I don’t take these explanations as being entirely truthful — but if they are, I suppose it says something about the age we live in that nothing can be allowed to remain sacred in a communal way. Everything sacred must be confined to personal or private interests.

I love Thanksgiving, too, but I had to grow to love it the way I do. It’s not quite my favorite holiday, but I appreciate it for reasons that I think are widely overlooked. (A perennial Wall Street Journal column was formative for me when I read it the first time over 10 years ago.)

In our Western culture, I think Easter and Christmas are the most important holidays — though the first is not celebrated by everyone (that’s O.K.) and the second is celebrated by many, if not most, people for reasons that are largely independent from the original purpose (that’s O.K., too, I suppose.)

As a nation, we have two holidays that mirror Easter and Christmas: the Fourth of July is an all-out, indulgent celebration and remembrance of our origins, like Christmas; Thanksgiving is a common remembrance of all the benefits we derive from our heritage, like Easter. Other nations and traditions have similar feasts and holidays — Canadians mark their Thanksgiving in the second week of October, and Jews have been celebrating Sukkot for thousands of years. The aim of these and many others is the same as our own Thanksgiving — publicly recalling, acknowledging the blessings and beliefs we share. This meaning of Thanksgiving can easily be overlooked or lost if we don’t make the effort to combine our personal beliefs with our communal activities.

There’s the problem. Public life discourages personal displays of faith — whether or not it is a specifically religious belief.

I’m always glad to discover examples that contradict this fact, however, and happily the metalcasting industry is fairly full of these. Last week, I listened to a presentation by a prominent foundry executive. I won’t name him, because I didn’t discuss this with him, but it’s plain to me that these principles he outlined have served him, and his company, well.

Paraphrased here are his guidelines for managing a company and managing one’s self, successfully:
- Derive your authority from the people you manage ...
- Exhibit enthusiasm …
- Have good self-esteem …
- Have ambitions/dreams …
- Take risks, make mistakes, keep going …
- Work hard, as an example to others
- Be strong under pressure …
- Treat everyone with respect …
- Praise loudly, criticize quietly …
- Believe in someone greater than yourself …
These principles will make you a better manager, employee, parent, son or daughter, ultimately a better person, he advised. Undoubtedly, that’s true.

I can’t see anything in this list that should offend anyone, and yet you could hardly find a better, clearer expression of personal faith being lived in public. Among the many things we should be thankful about, is the courage and confidence of such people in our communities and our nation, and in the metalcasting industry.

Happy Thanksgiving.