And So it Begins...

I have been contemplating starting a blog for some time now and finally gave in. I find it only fitting to start my first blog post, which just so happens to be on the 60th anniversary of D-day, with thoughts on the historic event. In times such as these, times of war, it is pertinent to reflect on the sacrifices those have made to get us to this point in time. Today, especially among my generation I believe that there is a general apathy or ignorance for the sacrifices that are made for love of country and freedom. Including myself I believe that this stems from a distance that we have been fortunate to have from war and real dangers threatening the freedoms that we take for granted in this country. On D-day heroic men, the same age as me, from Canada Britain and the United States marched into the face of imminent death without reproach. Bombarded with stories today none stood out in my mind because each individual story was in itself so intensely heroic and special. These sacrifices were not made because of choice, like recent wars, and their purpose was not questioned. These men entered battle because they had no choice, without their sacrifice evil would flourish. Wars of choice have lacked this sort of urgency, Korea, Vietnam and both Iraq wars lacked this common cause back home. In no way am I demeaning the sacrifices made in each of these wars, nor am I saying anything against their purpose yet I am trying to distinguish the qualities which made WWII and specifically D-day so intense and monumental. A 60% mortality rate only on Omaha beach made death more than probable and these figures were most certainly predicted and known by the soldiers before hand. They did not falter they marched onward like good soldiers had before and have since. Brave and steadfast they eventually caused the concrete walls of evil to crumble. What the French could not do for their own country the British, Canadians and Americans had to do for them, beat back an injust and evil idea. Some never left that beach and some were fortunate enough to push on, moving swiftly and with purpose eventually realizing the full horrors of Nazi Germany. All could have been avoided had Europe and America taken the threat of Germany more seriously, but we did not and it is no use to look back. It has been moving in the past few days to hear the words of those who were there. Elie Weizel, Uncle Johnny and members of the units who stormed the beaches at Normandy. It made me wonder about my generation, they had their definining moments. The 50's had Leave It to Beaver and the Brady Bunch and the Korean War. The 60's had drugs and rock and roll, JFK and Vietnam. The 70's however mundane they seemed had a somewhat awakening of the inner conscious, the Cold War and Vietnam. The 80's had leg warmers, cocaine and the fall of Communism. The 90's had ripped jeans, prosperity and Bill Clinton. I have grown up in a time of unbridled prosperity and innovation. Things I now come to expect as creature comforts were worked hard for or didnt even exist 10 or even 5 years ago. We lack a respect for many things and I believe that this includes our freedoms and way of life. These are things that I have never had to fight for, I have not had to put my life on the line for. The foundations of our country, our way of life, today I believe in our complacency my generation has forgotten the central tenants to our way of life. Today as always they are being challenged, the same things that these men on the beaches of Normandy fought for. To them they were being challenged from outside, Facism, Communism these were the foes. Today the enemies are less pronounced, there is no iron curtain or Berlin Wall, today it is more covert and even comes from our congress and our president. Enemies from outside want to tear us apart from within and with fear. If I could choose one word to describe our feelings from those who challenege us today it is fear. We are fearful of alienating the world, fearful of offending someone, we are fearful that our bus on the way to work will combust because someone on the bus hates our freedoms. What scares me is the way people have become sheep today, following the word of one man without thinking things through. I have no agenda in this post today other than to provoke thought. A thought about what it means to have the freedoms that we have, a thought to not be fearful but resolute and tough. We are no moral compass to the world we are only beholden to our own convictions as a people and as a country. Apologizing for protecting ourselves and reacting to the first attack on our soil since Pearl Harbor is wrong. Think about the life you lead, the size of your bank account now and the great freedoms we have been afforded by those who fell in the name of freedom on the beaches of Normandy, the hills of Korea, the Jungles of Vietnam and the deserts of the Middle East. Think about those around the world who try to emulate and espouse the same ideas and moral convictions that we ourselves have come to take for granted. We should be fearful of quick fixes and fearful of shepards. While quick action is always the best it should only be done after intense thought deliberation and input from all qualified. Someone once said "we now stand at the precipice of history" and that cannot be more true than right now. The state of the world is at a tipping point and all I ask is for you to be thoughtful of those things which aim to change it, irresponsibly.