Memorial Day (Reprise)

“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” – Douglas MacArthur

A paradox in the history of human thought is that peace is worth fighting for. The very irony of that last sentence is rarely discussed. Most religions of the world teach that killing another human being is wrong, but the number of wars fought over religion is astounding. Our laws prohibit killing and then we codify the degrees of taking someone’s life into neat categories like “manslaughter” or “murder.” The same governmental entities that protect life also give themselves the authority to take life by execution or war. Indiscriminate taking of human life is never permissible.

Without debating the issue of the morality of war and other ways of legalizing the taking of human life, one fact stands out: the majority of people do not want to die. This becomes a personal standard which allows us to rationalize or justify intentionally causing death. Life is so precious that we never want to lose it and assume that others have the same set of values. By deductive reasoning, capital punishment is a deterrent because “they deserve to die.” Sometimes we are proved to be wrong in this notion when terrorists give up life for a cause that we cannot understand. In reality the real product of terrorism is not death… it is terror. We are terrified by the thought of dying.

Speaking from the viewpoint of a veteran who served for the purpose of protecting my family and others, I graciously acknowledge the thanks I receive for doing my so-called duty when in truth I never really wanted to die or put myself in danger. The fact that for a period of time I was on the edge of danger and lived gives me purpose today… that perhaps I really am here for a reason. It also gives me the ultimate respect for those who served and did not return home. Hopefully, that was the purpose for which they existed and they did not die in vain. On Memorial Day I will probably get calls from my kids who totally overestimate the significance of my contributions, while I will remember those who literally saved my life and those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect my freedoms.

Image Credit: Photo by Michael Herrick – Danbury Area Vietnam Memorial, Danbury, CT