Veterans Day in Winona, Minnesota

I have always considered myself a pacifist. I celebrate love, peace and enjoying life to its fullest. Which is why I oftentimes feel torn about celebrating Veterans and Memorial Day.

Isn’t it just contributing to more suffering and war? I’ve often felt conflicted.

Let me explain.

A few years ago, Jack and I went on a 19 country world tour to perform music for the families of American military serving overseas. And I have to say, I have never felt more warmly welcomed than when meeting all of these brave folks.

These soldiers and their families were incredibly grateful to go to our shows, and they’d often stick around afterwards, just to talk to us and our crew.

Jack and I felt like we made a new friend in every person that crossed our path.

It’s was incredibly fun and rewarding.

Yet, after every performance I’d go back to the hotel and sit in silence. I realized I felt welcomed, yet sad at the same time. Why are these people stationed all across the world, decked out in uniforms, fighting in wars that harm others, and harm themselves?

Why does war even exist?

I realized that the basis of my questions, while valid, is not the point of celebrating Veterans or Memorial Day.

It’s not about me.

It’s to honor those who have made a GREAT sacrifice to protect something that they believe in, for the benefit of complete strangers like myself.

It’s not about me.

These brave men and women, I’m assuming, didn’t want war either. I mean, who WANTS to be harmed, or to fight another person – to defend the rights of someone they’ve never even met?

Who wants to be sent around the world to potentially be injured or, even worse, killed?

I’m assuming, like myself, most of these heroes oppose war, by their very nature.

So WHY would anyone, especially someone who vehemently opposes the concept of war, take it upon themselves to fight another human being?

It’s simple, yet so complex at the same time.

It’s not about me. And it’s not about them, either.

It’s about America. Not just the nation itself, but for what our country’s formative ideals are about. It’s for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. For all citizens, including you and I. It’s so you have the freedom to – wherever you happen to be reading this blog post from – sit in the safety of a building and browse through a website about travel.

So you can sip your latte, go to your job, come home and relax with your family, then maybe play a few videos games before you drift off to sleep.

It’s so you can pursue your passions, with the ability to access a high quality of life, and enjoy your days with the people you love. With the freedom to read what you wish to read, scroll through what you wish to scroll through on your device, and say whatever you want.

It’s so you can design and live a life you find meaningful, and have the freedom to pursue whatever that means to you.

Celebrating Veterans Day isn’t about me. Nor, is it about you.

Yet, at the same time. It’s all about me, and all about you. And, most importantly, it’s about the people who, in spite of not wanting war, had the courage to bust their butts, risking it all – including their very lives – so you and I can be here today, enjoying the life we’ve been given.

Veterans Day is a tribute to the people who understand why they’re willing to risk it all. A tribute to the very thing that makes the ideals of our country so great.

The freedom to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

No one wants to go to war. No one wants to hurt others. No one wants to risk injury, or possibly even death.

Yet, these brave soldiers did just this. For you and I.

For all of us citizens. For freedoms that I often take for granted.

So, yes. I still consider myself to be a pacifist at heart, and I’m still conflicted about any violence. Yet, at the same time, I gratefully honor those who have risked everything they hold dear to protect something that we all know EVERYONE, universally, should have.

Freedom.

And for this reason, I go to this Memorial and take a few moments of silence to honor the lives of those who fight for something they believe in. So strangers like myself can enjoy the liberties we do.