There aren’t many holidays ever mentioned on this blog but Memorial Day is the most important one for me. I’ve had friends killed in the service of this country and many more that have been maimed or worse through these continuing battles to keep this country of ours intact. For many years in the past returning veterans were mostly ignored. For years many disabled vets lived on the street due to mental illness (PTSB) as well as horrific wounds making it almost impossible to find work. It’s only in the last two decades that major steps have been taken by both government and public organizations to remedy that terrible situation. I usually don’t promote organizations on this blog but there is one major exception. Listed below is the link to the Wounded Warrior Project. That group has done as much to help our wounded vets as the government. In these perilous times the number of wounded and damaged veterans seems never ending but this country must be defended.
HONOR THE FALLEN BY SUPPORTING THE WOUNDED
If you want more information please click the link below. All veterans should be thanked and then cared for after they voluntarily put their lives on the line for all of us.
With Christmas approaching I’ve been reflecting on things a little. I’ve observed over the last few decades that Fear appears to be winning the war against Courtesy. During this pandemic it’s gotten even worse because of the demands of social distancing. We as a people will need to readjust to our normal life at some point when this pandemic is no longer a critical issue. My only question: Can our society as it currently exists make the necessary adjustments to a “new normal” or just fall back into the same old self-destructive pre-pandemic rut?
It’s been a slow process that has us as a people becoming so paranoid of each other that courtesy and helpfulness between individuals can no longer be expected. I know if I saw someone in distress, I would react immediately but in the back of my mind I’d be thinking and worrying, “Is someone going to sue me or falsely accuse me of wrongdoing” just “to be on the safe side”. It’s a sad and dangerous commentary on what our society is becoming. People stand by and watch as others are raped, stabbed, and murdered, without taking any action as simple as a 911 call.
This kind of behavior is destructive to society, but I understand the reasons for it. If the country continues to permit individuals to rationalize any and all bad behavior up to and including murder, the situation will never improve. All of the psychobabble in the world cannot justify or excuse hard-core criminal behavior. Where there is a carrot there must be a stick. Lack of societal deterrents for crimes is to blame. If there is a crime, there must be swift punishment to send the proper message to the masses.
Soon, the pandemic will pass, and everyone will be scrambling to get back to the ‘old normal‘. I hope it doesn’t happen. The pandemic has shown us just how bad things can get under difficult circumstances, and yet we survived. It’s time for the younger generations to start voicing their beliefs and complaints, getting involved in government at every level, to help create a ‘new normal‘.