“I HAVE LEARNED SILENCE FROM THE
TALKATIVE, TOLERATION FROM
THE INTOLERANT, AND
KINDNESS FROM THE
UNKIND”.
Kahlil Gibran
It seems that it is better now that more people seem to honor those who have sacrificed so much so we can have a country. That we can go where we decide, pursue interests that are appealing to us. After the war of Independence was won and the long task of creating a nation was underway one of our founding fathers found himself in conversation with a skeptical woman over the new founded Republic. You have to remember that the group that declared independence was in the minority.
In that conversation about a form of government that had never been tried in world history, and I assume, the great costs that it took to defeat the most powerful nation on earth. That the answer is enough to live without the detail of the story, “we give you a free Republic, Madam, if you can keep it”.
I notice that there are more individuals that respect and appreciate the costs that our Veterans have had to give over the years. To the soldier that is rebuilding a life without limbs, or sight, or peace of mind the sacrifice is everyday. It is good that the average citizen seems to understand more now than when I was growing up.
I was never called to duty and never asked to pay the price. Like my soul, someone has done that. Do I dare not be thankful and show respect for those who have?
At the end of ‘The War to End all Wars’ the Armistice was set ending the hostilities. “The eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month”. It became a great celebration and the ideal date to honor all those who sacrificed so much. So Armistice Day became Veteran’s Day.
Though we still have war as the bible says we will, we have to be thankful that there are those who will water the fields of conflict with their blood so you can live your life as you see fit. I hope you choose an honorable way to live it.
