An End to Veterans Day
No doubt everyone is aware that today is Veterans Day. Today is the day that we are all supposed to thank those who serve in the military and those who have served in the military. I ask why? Why do we honor those people?
The reason that we are given is that we honor their sacrifice and their courage. But I have met quite a few people in the military and I have to tell you that a lot of them aren’t very praise worthy. Don’t get me wrong, many of them are praise worthy and do sacrifice and believe in defending the ideals of America. But a good number are what the Army aptly describes as “jarheads.” Many in the military are drawn to the violence rather than the defense of the ideals.
Still, I do genuinely honor those who have served and who serve in the defense of America’s ideals. I do honor many of the veterans of America’s past wars and I am genuinely grateful for their service and sacrifice. But I do think it is important to not just praise and thank veterans thoughtlessly. We ought to really be genuine about it and to think about the praise and thanks we are bestowing.
I also think that it would be great if we could live in a world without a Veterans Day. What I mean by that is that I think humanity should strive for a world in which war is no longer a reality. In an ideal world, there would be no veterans. While that may sound impossible to us today, it is a dream worth living for and I believe that they best veterans would also like to see such a world. It is this reason why I am surprised that America does not have a Diplomats Day.
While there is certainly a time for war, I wish we lived in a world where that time was infrequent and/or none existent. A world in which there was no reason to fight. You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I am not the only one.
Filed under: Politics
