Memorial Day – Why it Matters

Insight: Memorial Day is the national day of recognition for the men and women who have died in the service of their country. What is to be remembered is not only that they gave up their lives in defense of their country, but also they were motivated to protect and preserve the values for which their country stands.

On Memorial Day we honor their service. On every other day we should honor the cause of their service by being civil-minded citizens participating in the democracy which our patriotic heroes have fought to preserve and defend.

Observation: Death takes its toll in more than one way with these patriots whom we honor. We are inclined to think in the context of a wound suffered in battle as a typical cause of death. However in recent years, a wound to the mind and the mental well-being has become a major source of death for those who have experienced some form of trauma which lingers long after they return home.

For a veteran to take his or her own life is now more common than most realize. This circumstance calls for a different kind of remembrance — i.e., easily accessible programs to provide assistance and support for veterans who are plagued with the challenge to deal with the outcome of their traumatic experience.

The Situation – Vets: Veterans today are returning home to an ever increasing inter-dependent and competitive world of enterprise. They are rightly concerned about how they can fit in and pursue productive lives. For those of us who are enjoying the benefit of their service, we have a civic responsibility to be mindful of our returning veterans who are in need of mental counseling. There is a need for a high level of informed awareness among the citizenry and a positive attitude to be pro-active in our communities to help them help themselves. Take it upon yourselves to become informed and do something to help generate a future with a positive outcome for all our veterans.

The Situation – Patriotism: The spirit of patriotism reflected in the sacrifice of our military heroes also should remind us of the values and principles on which our country was founded. Our history tells the stories of our shared national values. George Washington, our first president who signed the Declaration of Independence, believed that our national leaders should never tell a lie. Franklin Roosevelt declared that there is nothing to fear but fear itself — he believed that the national will and determination of the American people could overcome all odds. John F. Kennedy suggested that Americans ask not what their country can do for them, but what they can do for their country. He believed that service has two sides to it. These and other worthy values are embedded in our civic education which advocates a focus not only on our rights but also a focus on our responsibility as citizens. That means we share the burden of participating and upholding the values of our country, especially those related to the guarantee of human rights and justice for all the citizens of our nation. To that end, in order to preserve a more perfect union, it is important to be civil with one another.

The Idea: Memorializing those who have placed themselves in harm’s way in order to protect the American way of life should be accompanied by a commitment to be proactive in our daily lives to preserve and protect our nationally shared values. As a practical matter, we are all patriots. That means that it is appropriate to be mindful of not only taking care of our own in the context of the veterans who are in need of counseling, but also in the context of taking care of each other as fellow citizens. Consider the positive aspects of a better understanding of civic responsibility, the exercise of common sense, and the embrace of being patriotic in our engagement with one another. For instance, we could encourage our political leadership be more civil to one another, even among those with whom there is wide disagreement about political governance and the policies related thereto.

If you want to learn more about Talent Awareness, Team Building Skills and being Enterprising, please contact [email protected].

Copyright ? 2020 Entrepreneurial Enterprises LLC, All rights reserved.