The Bible tells us to everything there is a season.
Memorial day should be a time to mourn.
To a lot of Americans, Memorial Day represents a day off, or a cookout, or a trip to the lake. Others see it as a day to celebrate the awesomeness of the U.S. military, or to thank the troops, or to wave the flag.
To me, it’s none of that.
It’s a day to mourn.
It’s not a happy day. Not a celebration. In fact, if we really comprehend today, it should bring on a great sense of sadness.
More than 1.3 million Americans have died in war.
We praise the troops. We thank the troops. We honor the troops. But I think we forget exactly who “the troops” are. They aren’t a nameless, faceless mass. They are real flesh and blood individuals. Fathers and mothers. Daughters and sons. Brothers and sisters. Friends and coworkers.
1.3 million lives erased from existence.
How can we celebrate today? We should mourn. We should grieve.
I don’t think most of us grasp the cost of war. Perhaps if we did, we wouldn’t rush so quickly to send “the troops” across the world to die for this or that cause.
As we remember those who died, we should take a moment to ask why. Did sending Americans to Iraq really make us more free? Afghanistan? Vietnam?
Maybe it did. But I question it.
We all should.
We take war too lightly.
We need to count the cost.
A day to mourn.
Michael Maharrey is a journalist, author, and speaker. He speaks at events across the United States, and frequently appears as a guest on local, national and international radio shows advancing constitutional fidelity and liberty through decentralization. He’s written three books: Our Last Hope – Rediscovering the Lost Path to Liberty, Smashing Myths: Understanding Madison’s Notes on Nullification, and Nullification Objections: Dismantling the Opposition. He currently serves as the national communications director for the Tenth Amendment Center.
