I'm glad that the WWII Vets got an honest to "Bob" memorial in our capital. I think it's necessary to have a physical reminder of the sacrifices of those who came before us. Sacrifices that allowed us to have the kind of life we have today. All most excellent applications of human industry and ritual.
But there's something about it that bothers me as well. A physical memorial can allow us to switch on and off our remembrance of these brave soldiers and civilians that fought to protect our way of life and to do what's right. The last Monday in May, we gather up all our reverence and thank "Bob" we have the day off to spend with friends and visit the new WWII memorial.
The rest of the time we give it hardly a thought.
The true memorial we provide for those who sacrificed for our country is the society we provide for our children. The society we provide for ourselves. The society we provide for the world. The society they fought and died for.
I know people like to honor the dead, but I just have the feeling that the dead would rather see us honor the living and those who have yet to live. They died for the future, not the past. The memorials we erect in the physical reality are reminders of the enormous price that has been paid to allow us to live as we currently live. The memorial we should be striving for is a society that lives up to their greatest ideals.
The past is better honored by providing a better future.
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