Several recent marketing emails I’ve received lately were titled “Happy Memorial Day”. My response? Cringing. “Happy”? I don’t want to disparage the senders, but language is important to me. Word choice and imagery, critical.
This day where we remember our war dead, “happy”, to me, misses the point. “Thoughtful”, perhaps. “Reflective” works well, too. Thinking about the history and imagery around “Memorial Day”, and I don’t see joy, happiness; just somberness.
I think of WWI, the masses of humanity ground up in the machinery of war. Also, as its armistice was drawn up yet the fighting, and dying, continued so that leaders could enjoy symbolism; war’s madness, too. Elements which have not faded from the modern battle field.
The loss of so much potential; of sons, fathers, friends. I find such deeply sobering.
I don’t feel anger or offense, though, which is so often our favorite response. Just contemplative consideration.