Freedom isn’t free.
Of all the holidays that have become needlessly commercialized, this may well be the worst one.
Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, reportedly came into existence in the years following the Civil War. It became an official holiday in 1971, when so many of our countrymen and -women showed hardly respect to any military members, alive or deceased.
It gave American citizens a designated time not to thank our currently serving men and women (which we can do on just about every other day), but to mourn the loss of those who have fallen in the line of duty, making our nation safe.
The security we enjoy on a daily basis comes not only from engaged citizens participating in our society at home, but from those who stand backs to us, facing the external threats we face every day. Sometimes, those who stand are subject to the punishment that civilians would otherwise have to withstand themselves.
Seriously. Freedom isn’t free.
Over the centuries, we’ve lost over a million Americans to military conflicts. Many of those conflicts took place at a time in which the losses were even more pronounced, thanks to the total population of the nation at the time.
Why, then, do we see corporations taking this time of mourning as an excuse to officially kick off the summer months, or boast about what they do for veterans, which the holiday isn’t even about?
Don’t give into the external pressure. This Memorial Day, take time, actually take time to recognize the losses sustained to keep you, me, and our whole country in a state of freedom and prosperity. According to History.com, a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. Memorial Day. Consider participating.
Let’s remember the fallen.
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