A good story, as any storyteller knows, involves some sort of conflict.
Conflicts can be epic events, like a global war, or fantastically small, as in Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy; a monologue of one man debating himself. Big or small, real or imagined, conflicts provide drama by their very nature.
If you consume a lot of media these days, and we do, it’s understandable if you go around thinking the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Some days it honestly does feel like that. We think it’s because modern American media specializes in conflict because it’s easy.
Ask person A what they think, and then ask person B what they think of what person A thinks. That is usually enough to draw a contrast and if you’re sharp enough to find it and pernicious enough to exploit it, soon enough the conflict becomes the story.
Consider, for example, the budget debate currently ongoing in Augusta. The story is framed as a conflict between the governor’s budget proposal and the Democratic alternative, and to an extent it is, but the story is also one of a group of citizens who collectively got into the game because they saw the need for leadership and they wanted to serve.
Framed that way, Maine Republicans and Democrats are not adversaries, but compatriots. They are on the same side; the side of improving this state for the benefit of the people who live here. Differences exist certainly, but step back a little and the divisions disappear.
Which brings us to Memorial Day. When it comes to conflict, of course, there is nothing quite like a shooting war. Nothing raises the stakes quite like the prospect of imminent death.
Memorial Day is the day set aside to remember those who gave all to secure the freedoms we enjoy. Every veteran who gave his or her life for this country shares the mantle of heroism. Zoom in closer and they had their differences.
If they were alive today they would be Republicans or Democrats or other and they would probably be just as likely as you to be thinking the world is going to hell in hand basket. They would watch Fox News or MSNBC or whatever and wonder how in the world the other side thinks the way they do.
Take a step back though and our war dead, all of them, are all on the same side, our side; the American side.
Increasingly it seems in recent years, Memorial Day is more a holiday and less a memorial and that is good to a point, we suppose. Time with family is precious. Being able to enjoy the fruits of your labor is good. However, most importantly, this is a time to pause and reflect on this great nation and remember the sacrifices of our fellow citizens.
Take in a parade this weekend. Go to one of the local memorials. Stand up and take your hat off when the flag comes around. Thank a veteran – there is a never a bad day to thank a veteran. Every single one of them served on our side.
Monday, May 25, is specifically for those who gave all for the rest of us. Let us not forget.
