Driving towards my Memorial Day Weekend destination, I pondered life, death and sacrifice.
Wikipedia says that “Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering and honoring the military personnel who perished while serving in the United States Armed Forces“. It is celebrated on the last Monday of May.
I thought of all these strangers fighting and dying for me and my country. They paid the ultimate price. Their families were torn apart just so ours could stay together. A huge amount of gratitude filled my heart and soul. These people illustrated that doing anything for love is a thing. They died for what they loved – their country.
And then we have Veterans Day, which Wikipedia explains is a federal holiday “honoring military veterans, that is, persons who have served in the United States Armed Forces.” It is celebrated on November 11th.
The reason why I shared those definitions with you is because I have met people who do not know the difference. Simply put – Memorial Day is for those who were in the military and died while on duty. Veterans Day is for those who have served, but have not died on the battlefield. There is also an Armed Forced Day, which celebrated those who are currently active duty in the military.
These three separate holidays honor seemingly the same people – members of the armed forces. However, if you look closely, they are vastly different.
Here in the U.S., we get Memorial Day off. It is our first “long” weekend (3 days) of the year. You remember, relax and live it up with your family and friends, while greeting the beginning of summer. (Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer and Labor Day closes the season.) Unless you are a federal employee, chances are you do not get Veterans Day off. You see it in the calendar, you hear about it on the radio, etc. However, the celebrations do not compare with those of Memorial Day. When it comes to the Armed Forced Day, chances are that it will come and go and you will not even know it. (I generalize.)
What does that all mean?
We often hear how we should love and appreciate people now, because we do not know when they will be gone. We are reminded to make the best of the present moment and show gratitude towards the people that matter to us. We should make them feel valued, loved and appreciated now. Today.
Have you ever heard people singing praises about someone recently deceased, when they hated their guts when that person was still alive? I agree that we need to respect those that die. But I do not agree that we can act however we want towards each other only to pretend everything is alright once they pass.
We are hardwired to honor those who are no longer with us. It does not surprise me that we cannot change that mentality, if federal holidays show us that those still alive deserve less mention.
Pondering all this made me wonder how the vets feel. Do they feel less valued that those that have fallen on the battlefield? Are they less important? Sure, they have not played the ultimate price, but often times serving has caused a tremendously negative impact on their and their families’ lives. We cannot forget that. Just because they came out alive does not mean that they are living.
Why do we not celebrate the living as much as the dead?
Stay golden,
***
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One day at a time... 
Good point!
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Thanks for checking in!
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Thought-provoking.
I think the fact that the deceased have paid the ultimate price makes us respect them more. But then you do have good point that just because the veterans came out alive doesn’t mean that they are living. I can’t even imagine the trauma they must have faced in their lives.
In the end, people have a tendency to value things or people more when they’re gone.
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It’s true.
I can understand that.
But having lost someone close to me, I know all the more to value them while we still have the chance.
Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great rest of your week.
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Yes, I can understand. It is better to value them while we still have the chance.
You, too, have a great week!
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And a golden weekend!
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Yeah, you have a golden weekend, too, Goldie!
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To answer your question, we don’t celebrate the living as much as the dead because we take the living for granted like so many other things in our daily lives. As for your post, I agree that we should appreciate people now. I’d like to add a little history of Veterans Day, as many people I know do not know it’s origins.
Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day, but was renamed in 1954 (in the U.S.) to honor all who served in the global conflicts, and today – all who served. Armistice Day marks the end of World War 1 (11am on November 11th, 1918), when hostilities ceased, even though the Treaty of Versailles was finally signed the following year. During (and after, if I’m not mistaken) World War 2, many other countries renamed Armistice Day to Remembrance Day, because the armistice had failed, and the Treaty was ultimately one of many factors that led to the second world war. Even then, the date of November 11th which is when we celebrate Veterans Day, Remembrance Day, and Armistice Day depending on where you are in the world, is a day everyone should remember. Going back to your post, it’s important that we honor our fallen, our veterans, and our active service members, because when conflict arose, they were and are the first to meet it so the rest of us can enjoy what we call life.
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“For granted”. Exactly. I think we’re all guilty of it to some extend, but I wish more people actually realized it and tried to do something about it.
Thank you for that bit of history. I did read it as I was writing my post. Isn’t it fascinating how people from around the world celebrate the same thing differently?
Great closing lines. Well said. Amen.
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Definitely.
I couldn’t help myself, but history is a subject that I quite enjoy. Indeed, it is.
Thank you.
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I’m always happy to read and learn from comments, so I appreciate your historical tidbit. Hopefully other readers can read it!
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My opinion of Vets and how they are viewed is rather interesting. On one hand, I think they are either placed or they place themselves on a pedestal. Service is just that, service. It is my opinion that practically every person in America has a relative that has served at one time or another. So, instead of singing selective praises whenever it becomes convenient, realize that everyone has fought and defended in one way or another, since our inception.
Just my two cents.
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I see what you’re trying to say, but I think you’re taking it a step to far. Just because someone had a relative 4 generations ago that fought does not mean that they shouldn’t be grateful for those that fight now.
Yes, not every vet is equal. Some might deserve more praise than others. But there are too many people who do nothing for us not to care.
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True, perhaps I am stretching too much. I’m just tired of hearing vets virtue signal about how on Memorial Day, people are celebrating the wrong way. But, that’s just my opinion.
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I get that.
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