Parades

I wonder when our country will sponsor parades and celebrations for teachers who liberate minds; for doctors and nurses who liberate us from pain; for writers and artists who share their insights and liberate us from sameness; for city workers who liberate us from filth, chaos and anarchy; for mothers and fathers who each night read bedtime stories while tucking their children in bed and liberate their fears with trust and love; for firefighters and police officers who liberate our homes from disaster and crime, or for historians who try to liberate our future from repeating the past?

But, you will say, these are ordinary jobs and ordinary people. They are not heroes. They do not all face death as soldiers must. No, it’s true. Rather, they face life. Daily, weekly, consistently, we all work to bind this country together, to make our stay on planet Earth productive, worthwhile and joyful. For it is not war that makes a great country. Rather it is the combined greatness of her people and the dignity they afford their own and all other peoples that make a country great. For these reasons, not war victories alone, should we celebrate.

We are all heroes. We are all patriots. We are all Americans. We are all citizens of the world.

LINDA J. DILLON

Ventura