Do they even know what this day is about?
Throughout this weekend I’ve been getting more and more disgusted about the state of this American culture I live in. Memorial day should be about reflection and mourning; a sacred day where everything stops, and people think about and honor the many who have fallen in order to create this land of democracy and opportunity. In Israel, Memorial Day is extremely important. Perhaps because it is a much smaller country, everyone is one or two connections away from a fallen soldier, or a victim from a terrorist attack. For memorial day in Israel, there are hundreds of ceremonies all across the country. I’d go back to my high school every year, to honor those who are not there anymore. The sirens are heard twice, one in the evening and one in the following morning. While the sirens sound, everything stops, this includes cars and people alike. Everyone stands and reflects for a minute. I cannot express in words just how powerful of a moment this is.
Disgusted by the “memorial day shopping discounts” to the “happy memorial weekend” email greetings that I received, I finally decided to do a little research and understand if this always was the case with consumerist American culture, and if not, why it had changed. I found some fascinating facts. For instance, Memorial Day used to be a solemn day of mourning. Businesses closed for the day. Towns held parades honoring the fallen, the parade routes often times ending at a local cemetery, where Memorial Day speeches were given and prayers offered up. People took the time that day to clean and decorate with flowers and flags the graves of those the fell in service to their country. The Veterans of Foreign Wars stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address, “Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public’s nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.” Hawaii’s Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, has repeatedly introduced measures to return Memorial Day to its traditional day since 1998.
To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps.” => I’d be surprised if anyone that I know here in New York stopped at 3pm, or even knew about this initiative. Although the moment of remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day, what is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.
help restore the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day
Enough whining now… I’m going shopping 