Memorial Day

Memorial Day
by
Gordon Graham


Memorial Day is a reminder to all of us that, “Freedom isn’t free.” Just in my lifetime, thousands of brave men and women have given their lives to preserve our right to live in a free society. We take so many of these freedoms for granted, and yet even today they are challenged by leaders who would deny us the right to choose our own destiny. A free society cannot survive without fair and just laws. Laws that do not discriminate based on gender, race, color, economics or political persuasion.

We should be able to disagree without being disagreeable. However, with the awesome power of technology, talking heads can polarize a country, a community and even a family. We have evolved into character assassination when a misspoken phrase can destroy a candidate’s chance of success. The truth can be slowly buried by airtime, and the bombastic attacks that play in living rooms every day across the country.

When I’m giving a presentation I have a tendency to misspeak, to say something that could be taken out of context. However, I can apologize and move on; the media doesn’t capture the error and play it over and over to make me look like something I’m not!

Television is a great resource for entertainment, news, weather, etc. It has control buttons that allow you to select stations and adjust volume, but the control I really like is the “off” button! So when the vitriol starts I change stations or hit the “off” switch. That really helps my mental health!

One of our most powerful freedoms is to choose, every two to four years, those who represent us in congress. We live in a diverse society. The United States offers the same freedoms, the same rights to all citizens that choose to obey the laws of a free society. We have a responsibility to exercise this freedom with the highest regard for all.

Have a peaceful, thoughtful – Free! - Memorial Day!

Peace, Gordon Graham