Veterans Day Guest Blog: 'Just Be Happy'

Have a Picnic, Tie a Ribbon: Yes, it's a solemn holiday, but . . .

By CASSIDY MULLEN

I originally had something all written about Veterans Day that tied into the election. It was rather good, I thought to myself. But in the past few days I have read a lot of things about this day of remembrance, and most have a doom and gloom theme to them. And I don’t like that. Not that I am advocating for people to pull wool over their eyes and/or be artificially happy. But I am asking that things be put in perspective.

Veterans Day, along with Memorial Day, are two days where we honor the troops. Yes, it is a day off for many people and an opportunity to go on picnics and shop, but that is what holidays are all about. And it is particularly important on this holiday to know where we stand, and be thankful for it. One of the most interesting things about holidays like Veterans Day, and to a certain extent Memorial Day, is that there is no correct way to celebrate the holiday; everyone seems to have a different method. Yet one thread ties them all together: they follow the pursuit of happiness. And that is one pursuit we should follow in this post.

We have a horrible war in Iraq, but let’s not get too bummed about it. We have men and women out there fighting for their country, even if this country’s leaders sometimes do not care about them. We have a country full of people that is intelligent enough to know when things need to change, as symbolized by last Tuesday’s vote. In an instant, we can go from despair to hope.

Things aren’t as bad as you think. In World War II, our county and civilization’s very existence was at risk. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the world may have gone up in smoke in a matter of minutes. During Vietnam, we saw our whole country torn apart. During the Civil War, our country was literally torn apart. During the Great Depression, one out of every four people was unemployed. Only 140 years ago, we had slavery. Only 40 years ago, this country was still more or less legally segregated. So, no, things aren’t that bad. They can get worse and have been worse.

I don’t write this to downplay the problems of the present, for we do indeed have problems that need fixing: global warming, nuclear proliferation and the threat of starvation everywhere to name just three. But I don’t want to get people down, because this is not the end times, and this is not the worst Veterans Day in history.

So go out, and have a picnic. Tie a ribbon, or just do nothing; it’s your prerogative. There is absolutely no right way to celebrate. Just be happy. We have a lot to be happy about because, unlike some other November Elevenths, it could be a lot worse.

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It is no accident that Cassidy Mullen shares the same last name as Your Faithful Correspondent. He blogs here, and you can read more about him in a birthday valedictory that I wrote here.