I just saw a news article about a movement to convert remembrance Day (Memorial Day in America) to a national holiday. This came at a most interesting time because just this week I have been thinking the opposite, that they should get rid of it altogether. I mean what, are we supposed to observe it for all eternity?
Now before you infuriatingly yell at me let me explain. I believe that most if not all holidays and observances should be treated like food, they should be given expiry dates; here’s why.
There is a push now to make November 11th a full holiday which I assume means that nobody goes to work or school that day. November 11th commemorates an event that happened over 50 years ago. Recently September 11th has become notorious and is likely to draw similar efforts. There are also a couple of dozen other national and countless municipal holidays and observances. As time goes by there will no doubt be more events that will compel new holidays and if this keeps up one day we will wake up to find that not only are we not going to work or school that day but we haven’t for as long as we can remember. What I’m trying to say is that eventually the calendar which has a mere 365 days a year will be packed full of holidays and observances.
The above prediction is why I propose that when a new holiday is created, as part of the specifics an expiration date be specified. This would mean that it would be officially observed for a given amount of time after which it will be rescinded. Once it has expired it can continue to be observed privately although it would no longer qualify for holiday benefits like staying home.
Doing this would not only keep the calendar free from clutter but would also allow people to focus on contemporary issues and events. If we dwell on the past forever than we will start to lose sight of the present and future.
I understand that there are a few holidays that are excruciatingly special and ancient like Christmas. I also understand that getting rid of it would upset many people because then they would be left with one less day to receive presents. And even though technically it does not have any reason to be exempt, I’m sure it would have enough support to become so. You might think it would be acceptable to do this with a few select holidays but then we would eventually be in the same boat. Once enough events that are significant enough have occurred, we would have a calendar filled with exempt holidays. You could give Christmas a longer expiry date.
In case you were thinking that this “problem” that I have described is ludicrous and would not occur for many hundreds or even thousands of years, you have to stop and think a little bit. Shortsightedness is a deadly mistake. In the same news segment as the Remembrance Day piece was piece about how there is an eight nation report on how the polar ice caps are melting a LOT faster than anyone had ever anticipated. What’s worse is that we will not be able to repair the damage in time. It turns out that human beings have successfully managed to destroy the planet in less than 75 years. How? Shortsightedness. People thought “Meh, why should I inconvenience myself? The garbage won’t pile up too much for a long time, the ozone will survive a long time, the fuel will last a long time.
A long time is never as long as you think, hope, want, or need.