Sunday 29 May 2011

Memorial day

The last Monday in the month of may will always be calendered, until war is celebrated as victory.

Memorial day, a day for what? a celebration, a sadness, feasting or fasting?

I would consider this day for introspection, why do we need to have this memorial day, for what acts of bravery or compassion our soldiers have offered to fellow soldiers or to the civilians of the land, they had fought in.

Medals are offered to silence the acts of brutality, and kill the compassionate feelings that surface in a soldier.

I who am against war, feel the soldiers are exploited, and freedom always is a distant horizon for them and for the humans of earth.

In Memory of those who have fought to be remembered.

3 comments:

Local said...

I just saw a DRDO billboard that said, 'Freedom isn't free, respect those who give their lives for our country' and I thought cynically,"... and thank you for employing more of the worst offenders than our prisons so that our society is safe from their violence."

Nations without standing armies and military budgets have enough to raise the standard of living to the level of Sweden within a few years as Hans Rosling pointed out in one of these talks http://www.ted.com/speakers/hans_rosling.html

Unknown said...

About the point on employing more offenders, I remember when in school, my class had some girls who could NOT be disciplined by anyone.
Usually the best student is given the privilege to become class monitor. But, even she was a disaster in terms of monitoring the class in the teacher's absence.
So, the teacher had enough and she decided to put the onus on that mischief monger. Ever since the class was unusually quieter and disciplined.

Local said...

Nice perspective there, Shaz. After all, a weed is just a plant in the wrong garden. The obnoxious child can be unusually vigilant of indiscipline.:)

Prisons, the military and the police have the same kind of person on different sides of the law.