“Macy’s, now open on Thanksgiving”

It is my belief that this world we share and these lives we lead have an order (or balance) that pervades them. Examples of this order are so commonplace we often do not think about them. Some simple examples: citizens have rights and responsibilities; people have moms and dads, etc.

Sadly, such order is not always clear to us in everyday life. Despite our lack of clarity, we do well when we attempt to properly balance our civic lives and personal lives in a manner that mirrors the larger common order.

Why am I taking the time to commit to print such a seemingly arcane bit of philosophy as this? Because sometimes things that seem to me to be violations of this order have a direct and negative impact on others. One such current example is Macy’s recent announcement that it is breaking a 155-year-old tradition in order to be open on Thanksgiving Day. I won’t pick on Macy’s. They are simply the most recent business to follow a trend that has more and more retail workers away from their family and friends on that special Thursday and the wee hours of Black Friday when families should be spending time together.

The Minnesota state legislature spends quite a bit of time discussing policies like the minimum wage, a livable wage, and what the correct balance is that will reward labor without raising costs to a level that reduces employers’ ability to hire people. These are good and important discussions. It is right that people are rewarded for their labors. It is right that businesses can conduct their work with a great degree of freedom. It is clear that the legislature cannot and should not be the chief mediator between people and employers.

The preceding observations are simply prologue to this simple request. Can we as parents, children, consumers and employers please restrain our shopping impulses for one day? Would you be willing to hold off shopping for 24 hours in order to have your son, daughter, mother, father, relatives or friends around the table with you on Thanksgiving Thursday?

There is a bigger order to these lives we share. We are more than consumers. We are family!