It’s rare that I get to post anything that is located close to me in this blog. Being so far away from what I usually write about means that while I’ve visited most of the places I feature, they are quite far away by the time I get to write about them. This one is close to home in many ways, and I am saddened to write about it at all. You see, I live very close to Berkeley, California, and I worked there for years so the recent tragedy there is very close to my heart.
It must be agonizing for a parent to outlive their child. It goes against the natural order of the universe and has to be absolutely devastating. For many, it usually involves anger and hopelessness. Margaret Pearse knew that suffering better than most, for she didn’t lose one son, but two—at once—both executed at the hands of the British for their roles in the Easter Rising of 1916. Despite this, she steadfastly refused to give in to despair and she spent the rest of her life fighting for the free Ireland that her sons had died for.
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This last weekend in Merrion Square, hundreds of Dubliners saw an outdoor viewing of one of my favorite movies in the world – Dead Poet’s Society. The proceeds went to various suicide prevention and mental health programs in Ireland which is incredibly encouraging. Here in the U.S., our entire health care system is broken and the worst victims of this are those who suffer from mental health afflictions. Whenever something that is this tragic and heartbreaking happens, we always hope that it will change the dialogue and the system, but it rarely does anything to truly help, except at a grass roots level. Our politicians can’t admit that the reality of how poorly we treat our citizens is appalling because then they would actually have to come up with a way to change it – and that involves a complete revamp of mental and physical healthcare. Continue reading
Here in the U.S. Memorial Day means a three day weekend to most people. Many either forget, are opposed or are simply untouched by the idea of war and those who fight them. As a woman who is obsessed with the politics of another land and disagrees almost entirely with her own country’s foreign policy, Memorial Day is a strange one. Still, while I am opposed to war and I despise the greed from which almost all of them spring, I do not oppose those who fight them. I absolutely hate the fact that they are necessary – but I do not hate them. And I can hardly honor the patriot dead of one country without honoring my own, so here it is.
Those who are sent on a mission and who do not return should be honored, not just on Memorial Day but every day. Those lucky enough to come back should be cherished and cared for – and those who thrust them into the world should be forced to join them, in order to better understand what they’ve done.
Cheers to you…. and thank you for your service. May you never be forgotten.
Choosing the Green 