I love/hate Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you all are having a great day, and that you had a great Memorial Day weekend. I hope you spent it with friends, family, and loved ones.

I personally have a love/hate relationship with this day.

On the one hand, I mourn and revere the brave Americans who have died fighting “our” wars. I really respect veterans. I respect the discipline, the earnestness, the sacrifice, and the noble feeling of “being part of something bigger than yourself” that comes from joining up and serving.

I also really respect the martial arts in general. I think the use of force is something that humans (especially men) should master. Train to be lethal. Think tactically. Build yourself and your skills up to be the most effective monster you can be.

Then (and this is the crucial bit) only use those tools defensively. Knowing (through study) the nasty results of violence, try as hard as you can to keep you and your loved ones out of the way of violence. Train to kill so you never have to.

So, I love all that. I love martial arts. I love martial discipline.

But I despise war. The vast majority of the wars the US has been involved in have been unnecessary from the perspective of the citizenry. They have been crony wars that benefit bankers, weapons manufacturers, and hubris-filled maniacs trying to play at empire or play “hero” or “tough guy” or some such nonsense on the world stage.

And they use other people’s lives and money to do so.

So, this day brings me mixed feelings. I love warriors. I hate war.

Regardless, I hope you and yours enjoyed the long weekend.

Naturally,

Adam