was invited to a gathering at the lake - cook-out and all that.
those folks go all-out. bunting and everything.
I considered going ~~~ still thinking about it.
Memorial Day. what does that mean?
remember. remember the noble heroes who paid the ultimate price for Freedom.
and I wonder what Freedom means.
and I wonder if those noble heroes went because they - for whatever reason - wanted to? or were they drafted? or could they not get away from home? or could they not find employment?
can't remember exactly when I renamed the dedicated holiday for the rememberance of our war dead from "Memorial Day" to "Tragic Waste of Life Day", but it was decades ago.
maybe I'm thinking of an uncle, maybe my Dad's horribly damaged friend, maybe the stories I've heard of those friends and family members who didn't come back.
didn't come back. and I wondered why they were there in the first place.
we must think of them as heroes, otherwise we might have to think the unthinkable.
I've studied my history. we didn't invent war; war goes back to the beginning of time.
always been that way. does it have to continue?
maybe it is time for an evolutionary change. our very survival as a planet may depend on it.
if we're smart enough to develop all that technology, are we smart enough not to misuse it? might that technology be better used for plowshares instead of swords?........ just askin'.
(and couldn't our standing army serve their country better by rebuilding roads, improving our nation? maybe the pentagon could be used to plan for peace and the best use of resources?)
and I wonder what we can do about it? each and every. individually and collectively.
and I wonder who will be here to celebrate Memorial Day if we fail.
and
I haven't decided whether to accept the invitation or not.