Tis the Season.. to Remember.

I once had a boss who loved to hear himself say, "Look at the big picture". I never really liked the guy, but even in some jerks, you can find nuggets of gold, and "the big picture" is what I see upon this Memorial Day weekend.
No, it's not just the 3-days off, it's not just the cookouts and time with family, and it's more than remembering the men and women who served our country--with some of them dying for it--no, if it really has any meaning, it's LIVING it. It's remembering what America the Beautiful is and living to keep it that way. The "big picture" says, to me anyway, to put down my sometimes rigid and narrow views and put myself in the shoes of those who might dissent. Yes, that's hard for some--especially those arch-conservatives who seem to only believe in the "three Ps": their preacher, their pa, and their pundit. It's equally hard for those extreme liberals who won't stand for anything but their right to not stand for anything--and hate conservatives. No, I think Memorial Day weekend is somewhat designed to honor dissent, and here's why: some of those soldiers who died in battle for the red, white and blue might not have had views that agreed with yours, but they died for your right to have them, to voice them, to protest without worry of retaliation of government. THAT is what makes America great. Not Rush, Coulter and Hannity, and certainly not Franken, the New York Times and Stephanie Miller--and the narrow "If you don't believe like I believe, there must be something wrong with you" mentality of the far left & right. But it doesn't start with them, it starts with us. And a good start for you and me would be remembering "The Big Picture" that is America this Memorial Day weekend: Land of the Free (and that includes freedom to dissent), and the Home of the Brave!