Memorial Day……..an American holiday to honor our dead, killed in the armed forces. I imagine a great many of you celebrated this day with family get-togethers, barbeques and the like. I saw some touching scenes on TV depicting families, gathered together at Arlington Cemetery, to remember their family members killed in action. The saddest part of this program was the fact that since the Iraqi war and the war in Afghanistan, the numbers of our dead are increasing at such a rate that new ground is being prepared for an additional cemetery. We keep on killing our young men, even though it’s pretty obvious that all these years of war have accomplished little. I don’t argue that WWII was necessary, but perhaps Hitler and Mussolini would not have come to power were it not for WWI and its aftermath. We know that violence begets violence and yet it goes on. Man is still convinced that war is the way to get his share of the world’s goods. Pretty discouraging that so little progress has been made, after all these eons. The Muslims hate us, the radical Israelis hate us, in fact, we are probably one of the most despised nations in the world. Perhaps it’s time to ask ourselves, ‘why?’
When we celebrate Memorial Day, how many of us actually remember the ones who died for our so-called freedom. How many of us think about the mothers/fathers and their children who have been denied a parent because of war? I see nothing to celebrate. All the flag-waving parades signify nothing to me but unnecessary deaths, not only of our soldiers but of the countless civilians who are also killed in a war.
I have been pursuing pathways to peaceful solutions ever since my granddaughter was in the fifth grade and I started a group at her elementary school, called Peace Club. Because she attended a public school, I had to present impartial views. I could not pursue an anti-war ideology, unless I also presented a case for war. We even traveled to Washington and the members of the club were invited into the Soviet Embassy (this was at the height of the Cold War). We also met with our Congressman on the steps of the Congressional Building and our pictures were taken. Our only accomplishments were some press coverage and publicity for the Congressman and for the Soviet Embassy. So where are we now? I’ve grown old and the children in the club have grown up and have their own families. Will they remember the things we discussed in our club, or will they be sending their children blindly off to be killed/maimed? Maybe we could revive the Peace Clubs in our schools as a place where we could have an honest discussion about war and peace. It’s up to all of you. I’m running out of steam at the age of 86, so I hope you will carry on.
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