Joe Smith’s Post

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Remembering is more than not Forgetting. “Without Memorial Day, there is no other holiday.” Joe Mantegna   Let that quote sink in. There is a complex irony to the celebration of Memorial Day. It is an irony that requires reflection to be appreciated.  Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and represented a haphazard way to honor American war dead by placing flowers upon their graves.  The evolution into Memorial Day transformed it into a celebration that looks simultaneously at the sadness of past ultimate sacrifice and the hope of a future pleasant summer of joy. With its combination of sadness and joy, past and future It defines perspective. Our Republic is going through a time of troubles. We have done so in the past. By nature, young people live in the present. Their lives are filled with activities driven by compliance and mollified by the need to establish independence. The process of teaching, interaction, and experience that parenting and educational institutions create is by and large less an environment in which the energy of the present can be channeled to benefit from the expertise of the past to help create the better future. The abdication of this responsibility to a commitment to mediocrity of thought amplified by assigning no implications to actions is a sign of social rust. So, as we celebrate this Memorial Day, let the gratitude for the sacrifices of the past that allow us to craft a better future abound. It is more of a responsibility than a gift.

Mike Quirk

Outreach Educator for CapTel -OEI Caption Phones

5mo

Thank You Joe for your post !! And Thank all the Veterans -past , present, and Future for their sacrifices, dedication to our freedom, loyalty to our Free Country and their families !!!

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