What if you could choose a single person to honor today?

That can be a tough decision to make, right? We have so many holidays (at least in the US) that are based on patriots, or heroes of the American mythos. How can I choose a person who can even begin to hold a candle to the likes of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Christopher Columbus?

Speaking of which, Columbus Day just passed. We named that day after the ruthless conqueror of the Bahamas, a man who murdered and disenfranchised countless numbers of Native Americans. For that, we called it a holiday and gave the post office the day off. Personally, rather than honor somebody today, I’d wipe Columbus Day right off the calendar. I mean, nobody’s perfect. Washington owned slaves, Jefferson owned slaves… Lincoln only released them for political reasons, and even then only in stages. But Columbus — he’s practically the Hitler of his time, and we certainly don’t have a Hitler Day!

Is that going to far? Perhaps; let’s switch gears.

Now Martin Luther King Day, that’s a day I can get behind. But here’s a question: where are the holidays named after great scientists and engineers? Why don’t we celebrate a day for Einstein or Tesla? What about Alexander Graham Bell, his contribution to modern life is literally in our faces all the time. No, I can’t choose a single person to honor today because when I think of the people we do choose to honor after all this time, I wonder if it’s really worth the effort. We do it as a ritual because it benefits us, or we ignore it altogether.

Isn’t it better to honor the people who make your life worthwhile? Aside from family, that is – you should honor them every day. Maybe I should declare today to be Readers’ Day, since you all make my day. Thank you for reading, following and commenting.

🙂

This post was prompted by today’s Daily Post prompt.