A Diverting Moment on Memorial Day
It’s Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S., a time we Americans remember those who fought for our country. But because it’s a celebration, it has the unfortunate effect of glorifying war, rather than causing us to do what we can to make it cease.
If you’re looking for something fun to do for a few minutes, you might want to check out this footage of New York City from circa 1900. I especially like the woman frantically trying to keep her dress from being blown up by the wind. It was nice to see her laugh at her little predicament; it’s a reminder that people never really change.
That, in turn, recalls to mind the wonderful BBC/PBS series on art history featuring the nun “Sister Wendy” that was made in the 1990s, and her shockingly beautiful comment on the caves in Lascaux, which I paraphrase: The neatest thing about this treasure is that it shows us that the people of 20,000 years ago fell in love, worshipped, worked, feared, hoped, adored their children, and dreamed of a bright future. In so very many ways, they were identical to you and me.
The hatred and violence in the world, and all our indifference to other peoples’ suffering is rooted in the sad fact that we simply don’t get this; we can’t seem to comprehend that the people around us have the precise same desires and sensibilities as we do.
Early said: “People never change”; NOT TRUE! Many thoughts about the body do not easily change, but once we see the real purpose of the body, and what meaning we have given it, we do change our view of ourselves and who we really are. It is the body that is not real, because we made it, not our true mind, which was made by God and extended to our own. We all have two categories of thoughts, real or true, and unreal, or illusion. We must first make this choice about every thought we think. If we accept illusion as truth, everything based upon that first mistake is false. Yet, many of us accept an illusion as true early on, believing we can choose better later on, never realizing that any thought based upon illusion cannot ever be true. We also believe that to look deeply within the mind will only see the horrors of insanity and chaos, but I assure you that all would be calm and loving with a true and loving guide to aid our choices. This mindful examination must be done many times, over and again, because the world is ubiquitous in illusions and false perception, but may be overcome, just as the mind of Christ did. That was His purpose so many seeming years ago, and so He still lives within us today. So we can truthfully say, though form is unreal, the mind of Christ, which we all share is Eternal and without loss forever. That is the Gift to those who choose rightly and now. Pray now only to see the truth of what you have already been given, and your life will be forever changed.
This soul, P Manke, writes with insight. (Ah, forgive my addressing you as “soul” owing to the fact I’m unaware of your gender.) Now, about the other point of seemingly glorifying war, what can I write? Recently I asserted in a forum, not unlike this one, that “Every soul, except otherwise proven, is an angel!” On today’s world scene lots of our “significant” influencers do not realize this little musing and so the brutish continuum of battles and their animal causes and inhumane effects, and so on and so forth.
Heaven forbid, but till we return to seeing the Other as “angel” (especially if they’ve done us no personal or particular harm) we are all headed for final and total doom!
Again, Heaven forbid that such prognosis should greet our adventures under the sun.
I happen to know that P. Manke is a guy.
when one gets past the propaganda, slogans and emotion generated by politicians and special interest groups, one recognizes that all wars in history are about RESOURCES. Hitler took Romania for oil,USA took N. America for the land and resources, Japan took Singapore for trade routes and rubber, etc. ad infinitum. All wars support the theft of resources and the destruction of war equipment so arms manufacturers can build more war equipment to destroy thus creating a non-stop recapitulating income flow. If you are not a military equipment manufacturer, then you are a slave. WAKE UP AND RECOGNIZE YOUR SHACKLES YOU FOOLS.
Right on Craig. The mindless war madness continues to be fueled by neocons and right wing think tank groups in DC and other places.Enough of wars and destruction of lives and civilizations. US imperialism needs to end!!!
For instance, there was this recent interview on one of the neocon Radio stations, where a fellow called Jonathan Schanzer (some VP of Research at a (thoughtless) think tank group called Foundation for the Freedom of Democracy) was spouting on, about the need for continued US military ground troop involvement in the middle east, to restore democracy in that region. These misplaced goons, who are puppets of defense contractors and oil bandits, fail to recognize that those countries are sovereign states too and know what is right for them. Just as the US citizenry do not want to be told how to mind their business, the neocons in the US need to refrain from free wheeling their unsolicited ideologies on other COUNTRIES. Under the guise of democratizing other countries, the US has destroyed culturally rich civilizations (much older then the US) and has brought about so much global instability!! Time for the US to mind its business and police its own country and refrain from interfering in others countries ideologies.
“The neatest thing about this treasure is that it shows us that the people of 20,000 years ago fell in love, worshipped, worked, feared, hoped, adored their children, and dreamed of a bright future. In so very many ways, they were identical to you and me.”
Very pretty, but unfortunately she missed a few… Too many of us are also are greedy, selfish, lust for power, hate people we don’t understand or who have killed our families and/or friends (and/or ancestors), or just think are evil because someone with power or influence tells us so.
It seems all of it, good and bad, is right there buried in our genes and will probably always be, or until we self-destruct.
Craig,
I’m not a US citizen, but I am grateful to the hundreds of thousands of US service-people who suffered death or injury in preserving the worlds freedom from rapacious tyrants, and cruel ideologies.
I’ve always felt very honoured to be invited to attend US Memorial Day services. Despite it’s many mistakes, and misunderstandings, I’ve never been ashamed to see the Stars and Stripes fly along side the Southern Cross as evidence of an historic alliance between two democratic nations of goodwill, who have proven to possess the necessary courage and resolution, to sacrifice in the name of other peoples freedom.
We don’t always get it right ! Nothing is perfect in an imperfect world. But, if history has taught us anything, it’s that in the end, Tyrant’s and Fanatic’s must be met with force and determined resolution.
JFK, quoted Edmund Burke, when he said; “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good men do nothing “, that phrase rings as true in the 21st century , as it did in the 18th century.
Memorial day is not a day to remember those who fought for America. That is what Veterans Day is for, celebrated on November 11th. To quote from Wikipedia, “Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country’s armed forces.” Honestly, I don’t see how honoring those who sacrificed their lives glorifies or perpetuates war. To the contrary, it reminds us of the price of war. when I recall family members killed in battle, or when I look out over the thousands of graves at a military cemetery, I sure don’t get too excited about getting into a needless war.
Well said John, very well said !
Chris, As a practicing Buddhist (SGI-USA.org) who has many family and friends who have served in all of our military branches I need to state that this day is to honor their service – their sense of service thereto. Furthermore, it is usually the soldier in a foxhole or sailor at sea who above all others values peace the most – since they are exposed to the most death! to be sure, this is their day so let us show them a sense of gratitude and not detract from it.
Paul