#memorialday
It started out as a day to honor fallen soldiers on Civil War, both Unions and Confederates alike. It then became a day to honor all fallen soldiers, regardless of what war they fought. And now it is the unofficial start of summer, with crazy sales and crazier weekend plans.
And the fallen soldiers lay quietly in their graves, both marked and unmarked.
The thing with human is we're forgetful. Despite the claim that our brain works like an unsurpassed super computer, we don't really have control over it. For the sake of survival, only important memories easily accessible for us: those that affect us the most or those that we strive hard to remember. Thus, what is important for us at this moment might not be important for us in the future. And because we are very perceivable, our memories do not only contain bare facts; our memories are shaped and tinged on how we perceive it. A hero today can be a villain tomorrow: same deed, different way of presenting what had happened. And the day after tomorrow, he/she could mean nothing. The selective memory preservation is crucial to keep our sanity and for us to move forward with our daily life, unhindered and unburdened by unnecessary information. And thus, the sales rage on while the tombs untouched.
But death is always a significant event.
It is not just in USA, it happens all around us. We're good now, but not many remember the days when we're not good. Not many were alive from the days when things were awful, and those who just heard it or read it from old stories and saying couldn't properly understand the horror of those days. War is despicable, but it doesn't change the fact that people have fallen. They died fighting for their cause, and in a lot of examples, the causes were for the good of many. Be it correct or be it wrong, be they agree or be they detested it, they still die for the cause. And because of them, here we are right now, happily celebrating a Monday off from work with beers and Bbqs and friends and family. Not because we got a day off thanks to them, but because we have our freedom thanks to them. And amidst the promise of joy around us, we owe it to them to stop for a moment and remember them.
To fallen soldiers everywhere, sleeping forever in the embrace of the earth, I thank you.
May your soul rest and your sins lightened.
May your death be meaningful and your sacrifice worth the price.
May you be at peace.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
And the fallen soldiers lay quietly in their graves, both marked and unmarked.
The thing with human is we're forgetful. Despite the claim that our brain works like an unsurpassed super computer, we don't really have control over it. For the sake of survival, only important memories easily accessible for us: those that affect us the most or those that we strive hard to remember. Thus, what is important for us at this moment might not be important for us in the future. And because we are very perceivable, our memories do not only contain bare facts; our memories are shaped and tinged on how we perceive it. A hero today can be a villain tomorrow: same deed, different way of presenting what had happened. And the day after tomorrow, he/she could mean nothing. The selective memory preservation is crucial to keep our sanity and for us to move forward with our daily life, unhindered and unburdened by unnecessary information. And thus, the sales rage on while the tombs untouched.
But death is always a significant event.
It is not just in USA, it happens all around us. We're good now, but not many remember the days when we're not good. Not many were alive from the days when things were awful, and those who just heard it or read it from old stories and saying couldn't properly understand the horror of those days. War is despicable, but it doesn't change the fact that people have fallen. They died fighting for their cause, and in a lot of examples, the causes were for the good of many. Be it correct or be it wrong, be they agree or be they detested it, they still die for the cause. And because of them, here we are right now, happily celebrating a Monday off from work with beers and Bbqs and friends and family. Not because we got a day off thanks to them, but because we have our freedom thanks to them. And amidst the promise of joy around us, we owe it to them to stop for a moment and remember them.
To fallen soldiers everywhere, sleeping forever in the embrace of the earth, I thank you.
May your soul rest and your sins lightened.
May your death be meaningful and your sacrifice worth the price.
May you be at peace.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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