Today is Memorial Day, a day when we remember those who died in the service of our country. These United States of America are 240 years old, which we will celebrate on July 4th. (I remember the bicentennial as if it were yesterday.) Two hundred and forty years is a long time, at least as far as humans are concerned, the average lifespan being 71 years. Two hundred and forty years includes a lot of people, a lot of hopes, and a lot of dreams.
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| These united. |
What does it mean to die in service of one’s country? We could bring up all sorts of political
ideas as an answer, this side verses that, this ideology above that. We could talk about sleazy deals in dark,
smoke-filled rooms. We could talk about
naivete and a young person’s desire to serve and protect. We could talk about the arrogance of the “divine
right” to rule. But let’s not talk about
any of that because too many people are already doing it.
Let’s talk about “country.”
What is country? Country is just
another word for home. It’s just a very,
very big home. Just as each man is “king
of the castle” in his own home, his own humble four walls, so the country is
home to its citizens and each citizen has a stake in its upkeep and a voice in
its direction. Each citizen’s home is
within the larger home called country.
“Country” is the physical place where the people live and
have their being. It’s the land they
stand and work on every day. It’s where
they are born, live, and die. It’s where
they are buried after death. Country is
the land, the rocks, the trees, the animals, etc., that make up our personal
world. Country is the only thing that
remains when everything else disappears.
The land is everlasting; everything else is quite temporary.
To die in service of one’s country is to die upholding the belief
that these United States of
America are greater than the sum of their
parts. It’s to die with the land and the
trees and the sun in your heart, in the hope that you are preserving these
things for someone else. To die in
service of one’s country is to be an active participant to the very end in the
formation and love of your home.
We hear the term “globalism” every day, but I don’t pay it
much mind. Smashing everything together
does not create a kaleidoscope of colors, only a grey and lifeless palette. Cultures are “multi” because they are
separate. I am content with countries
and borders and cultures and the unique beauty each offers to the other. I am content with the exoticness of foreign
lands and the excitement of learning about them, not being them.
Modern technology allows us all to share globally, but we
must never forget “home.” We must never
forget “country.” Home is the only thing
worth having. It’s the only thing that
lasts. It’s the only thing worth
fighting for. It’s the only thing worth
dying for. And I am grateful to those
who have preserved it for me.
