Memorial Day

Memorial Day.

It’s a good name for using one’s memory. What is it?

This Lt. JG made it back.

We use the day to commemorate those who have fallen in service to a cause. Who died in battle. We tend to just recall the folks that we knew — perhaps our parents, or grandparents and what they did in battle. I have relatives who fought in wars in Europe, who fought in wars in Asia, who fought in both the great war and world war II, who served in combat as far back as I have family records to consult.

But we have this ridiculous idea that if someone isn’t “expressing the appropriate sadness” on this day (a tweet, a photo, some other reason to focus on putting other people down) people get their dander up.

Here’s what to remember on Memorial Day for all those who come to the Quora forum called “Hacking the Afterlife.”

No one dies. Remember that. The person we are honoring, celebrating, whether a war hero, someone killed in war, someone shot or wounded or maimed and dies from that wound — someone who is carrying a flag, someone who is running down and shooting someone else carrying a flag and dies doing so — all of them, every single one of them; not gone.

We have this illusion we carry that while we are on the planet, this is the only stage. This is the only game in town. Once…