Sun day

It's Monday, our early celebration of Memorial Day which falls on a weekend day. For the convenience of those who think the day off is more significant than the recognition of the reason for the holiday occurring on its originally designated day, here we are paying attention to the weather, special sales in stores, yard sales galore, and the frenzy of planting at least some of the garden ... oh, and by the way, flying the American flag and taking a moment or two to recognize the men and women who have selflessly endangered their lives to keep us able to indulge in these pastimes without fear or threat. Our local parade is small, almost overwhelmed by the traffic of summer folks arriving to open their cottages and condos for the season. The winner of the local Voice of Democracy Speech competition usually reads the winning speech, the local members of the VFW assemble by the war memorial cannon in the center of town (meaning the town east of where I sit; I dont think my tiny town has its own war memorial for soldiers), cemetery graves are decorated with small American flags, and there's a 21 gun salute, all parts of the day that I remember from my childhood in Massachusetts but done on a smaller scale here and now. The prickly feel of hostilities in parts of Asia and Africa, and the call for more American troops to show the saber rattlers that, as one insurance agency ad on television tout, "We... MEAN.... BUSINESS!" For me, the recognition that firefighters, police officers, and soldiers of all kinds step into the line of fire quite regularly occurs several times a week, as I read the newspapers and hear the stories told by the students whose dads, moms, siblings, and other loved ones are still okay, sustained wounds but only minor ones, or they'll be coming home soon, if they can stay safe long enough to do that. I read it in Facebook where a former student, who had a short-lived career as a flooring installer (he's the one who laid our kitchen floor a few years back) and then went into the Marines, posts often about the food, the morale, and a certain friend of his who lost his life when an IED demolished the vehicle in which he was traveling, so the war feels closer because we can put a name and a face with it. Facebook also brings out messages from others who demand an immediate end to war, and peace, pure and simple. At what cost, I ask myself. What am I willing to give up in order to have peace right now? Am I ready to live in a 1984-style world, an Anthem-style world, a Fahrenheit 451-style world in which personal, individual freedom and control over one's own life is the sacrifice for something resembling peace? I can't answer "yes" to those questions. Until there's some magical worldwide consensus about personal freedoms and controls, and a better handle on how groups and societies function best without trampling the rights of the individual (all individuals, not just some), we'll continue to struggle, and some of those struggles will involve tactics and weapons that wipe out portions of populations. It would be wonderful if people could agree, but I'm not optimistic about it happening in my lifetime.

So yes, Happy Memorial Day. Enjoy the sun and the day away from the office desk or factory line or checkout register, but also enjoy for a few focused moments the freedoms we so often take for granted and thank as many of the people who have helped protect them as you can muster. That'll be a good Memorial Day.