I'd myself definately love to see this turned into a day for charity drives for Fire Departments. They do so much for us, and get paid so little that anything we can give them is a help.

I've been around trying to figure out what I can do for that day (was actually trying to donate charity time at a firestation to do small things like clean off the nozzles etc.. stuff I do in the Navy LoL but havn't had luck.. mainly it's my work hours tommorow that interfere...

I'd myself definately love to see this turned into a day for charity drives for Fire Departments. They do so much for us, and get paid so little that anything we can give them is a help.

I agree!

I've been around trying to figure out what I can do for that day (was actually trying to donate charity time at a firestation to do small things like clean off the nozzles etc.. stuff I do in the Navy LoL but havn't had luck.. mainly it's my work hours tommorow that interfere...

That would have been great! Work will definately interfere for me too. If my daughter does stay home it will be under the condition that she does find something constructive to do, like volunteer at the hospital for the day. She's been doing that during the summer months so is already signed up with them but haven't been able to continue because of school. yep, that will definately be the only way she stays home. I'll drop her off and pick her up, not a problem!

Doing something meaningful would be great if students decide to stay home on this day.

As far as actually officially making this a holiday, I am not sure about this one. Look at Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc...many people don't even know why they have these days off anymore, especially the younger set (being the grade level's U.S. History teacher this year, patriotic holidays is something I am required to teach, so it was an eye opener when I did my lesson on them). I would hate to see 9/11 go this route in the future.

I really do think that if they do make it a holiday, that we start the tradition of doing something for a good cause, or at the very least give it the honor and reflection it deserves.

I kind of wish we'd do a lot those things without a tragedy as a catalyst, but staying home from school seems silly. What the world needs is greater collective intelligence, and even one day of school where one student learns one small thing - even if it's just how to know the difference between 'your' and 'you're' - seems too great a price to me. If we want a bettter world, making holidays out of events is not the way. Mindfulness is.

Just my opinion.

Bless all,
Ock

Reply By: OckhamsRazor

Could not have said it better.  I agree with Ockhams on this.

And people say the teenagers are getting worse every decade!  Not a word of truth to it.  Yes they have their hearts in the right place.

I'm sure glad you're going to support her in this and your ideas for showing love and respect are awesome serenity   especially painting a firehouse,  when we lost those men and women.

Way to go to you and your daughter and her friends!

As far as actually officially making this a holiday, I am not sure about this one. Look at Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc...many people don't even know why they have these days off anymore, especially the younger set (being the grade level's U.S. History teacher this year, patriotic holidays is something I am required to teach, so it was an eye opener when I did my lesson on them). I would hate to see 9/11 go this route in the future.

I agree with you on this very much. In the islands Labor Day holiday means a day of activities where we clean up and do work around the neighborhood. I don't see that happen here.

What the world needs is greater collective intelligence, and even one day of school where one student learns one small thing - even if it's just how to know the difference between 'your' and 'you're' - seems too great a price to me. If we want a bettter world, making holidays out of events is not the way. Mindfulness is.

True, being mindful is. However, I think they're trying to look at the fact that this day, as we all agree was an eventful one for us all. Of course we all won't forget it, but making it a useful example would be good too.

Yes they have their hearts in the right place.

That they do Trudy, that they do. Now they need a bit of guidance.

I'm sure glad you're going to support her in this and your ideas for showing love and respect are awesome serenity especially painting a firehouse, when we lost those men and women.

Thanks Trudy. I might take it a step further for next year. I don't know. I'm thinking of the way we organised ourselves in the Islands and made a productive day in rememberance of a holiday. But nothing can be done unless it becomes a holiday because loss of time at work and school would not be good.

Way to go to you and your daughter and her friends!

Thank you!

For example holding a fundraiser and donating money to charity; painting a firehouse; donating needed supplies to a hospital or home in memory of some of these people. There are so many good things that could come from this. Just making this day a labor of love and then at the end of the day coming together in a concert or dinner or something of that nature. This would be implemented nation-wide. I think that would be fabulous!

A fine idea FS!

By foreverserenity Posted September 10, 2006 10:30:04

It's nice to know that there is still hope for our chilfren and our future. It's great to see that teens (I'm assuming she's a teen) today actually care about someone other than themselves (not that they all do think only of themselves, just not something I see often). I do think it's a nice idea, very considerate, thoughtful and almost non-profitable (after all, they still would get away from school for 1 day). I will, however, have to agree with OckhamsRazor and little-whip. I don't think that making holidays out of tragedies is a good way to remember those who died and those who gave their lives. Just like we always look foward to those long 3 day weekends for our personal enjoyment, just like we look foward to those holidays to do work around the house, just like we completely change the whole point of the holiday, a 9/11 holiday will just eventually become another awaited long weekend, another excuse to make a BBQ, another day to go to the beach, another day to wash the care, clean the house and/or cut the grass and the whole concept of the reason behind making it a holiday will be forgotten. Not unless everyone will actually take this day to either do charity fund raisers, donate their time and/or visit or remember the fallen, it will be just another paid day off (except for those who are part time or working for temp agencies which will not be paid for this day) and most likely a day for sales shopping.

I agree that education is more important and working harder to get better grades so that one day we can stop all these problems all together would be a better tribute to these fallen innocents and fallen heros.

I'm torn on this. I would love for it to be a catalyst to do good for the community and a day of remembrance.

However, my pessimistic side agrees with what LW says. I don't want to see the 9/11 sale at the grocery store, hot dog buns for cheap.

Memorial Day was implemented for us to remember our war dead, and now it marks the official beginning of summer, a three day weekend, complete with carnivals, festivals, car races and cookouts, furniture sales and other totally disrespectful (of the dead we are to remember on this day) and unrelated 'events.'

Yup. Few people go to the cemetery on this day, they're too busy getting piss drunk and celebrating summer.

I'm afraid that in fifty years it would become the same thing.

But, on the other hand, how many in the rising generation know the significance of the date December 7? Because it's not a holiday or anything, I'm afraid many people in the rising generation (read: mine) don't know what it is.

Memorial Day was implemented for us to remember our war dead, and now it marks the official beginning of summer, a three day weekend, complete with carnivals, festivals, car races and cookouts, furniture sales and other totally disrespectful (of the dead we are to remember on this day) and unrelated 'events.'

This is unfortunate that this is the way it is Whip. Unfortunately the retail world seemingly wins out when it comes to holidays and thus people do forget what they are remembering the day they have off for. If every community and even local government were to organize and make the holiday the day that is supposed to be.

September 11 should be recognized as a national day of mourning...but not made an official holiday. Pfft, if we do that, soon we won't even remember 9-11 as the actual DAY this shit happened, because we always move these things to the monday or friday before or after, so people can take their precious three day weekends.

I understand what you're saying and I do agree with you. As I said above, we the people need to be a catalyst to this day not turning into another sales day.

A fine idea FS!

Thx Jennifer. There are so many things we could do so it doesn't become another sales holiday.

It's nice to know that there is still hope for our chilfren and our future. It's great to see that teens (I'm assuming she's a teen) today actually care about someone other than themselves

She is. And yes it's great that teens are thinking this way. There's hope for them yet! Even through all the deviousness that happens sometimes!!

I will, however, have to agree with OckhamsRazor and little-whip. I don't think that making holidays out of tragedies is a good way to remember those who died and those who gave their lives. Just like we always look foward to those long 3 day weekends for our personal enjoyment, just like we look foward to those holidays to do work around the house, just like we completely change the whole point of the holiday, a 9/11 holiday will just eventually become another awaited long weekend, another excuse to make a BBQ, another day to go to the beach, another day to wash the care, clean the house and/or cut the grass and the whole concept of the reason behind making it a holiday will be forgotten. Not unless everyone will actually take this day to either do charity fund raisers, donate their time and/or visit or remember the fallen, it will be just another paid day off (except for those who are part time or working for temp agencies which will not be paid for this day) and most likely a day for sales shopping.

I do agree with you and Whip and Ocham. However if we don't make a change to this type of mindset with some of the holidays that we do have now, those that really should be used in a more productive way, for example Veteran's Day, when will we begin? These days that really should be used more usefully are not because we've fall into a pattern of 'oh it's a long weekend time to barbecue'.

I'm guilty of that as well. Once upon a time it wasnt like that, because Labor Day in my birth country as I mentioned before was a time to actually do something productive and we all did at the beginning of the day, then celebrated after all the work. Here it's known for celebration. And when I lived in NY it was a day of celebration to remember the islands where we were from and it was filled with a day of activity in that manner.

I don't want to see the 9/11 sale at the grocery store, hot dog buns for cheap

Well me neither and that would just be darn sad!

But, on the other hand, how many in the rising generation know the significance of the date December 7? Because it's not a holiday or anything, I'm afraid many people in the rising generation (read: mine) don't know what it is.

That's why utilizing the days in giving knowledge in school for the younger generations and being proactive in celebrating it the way it should be would be of help here. However, as you say,

Yup. Few people go to the cemetery on this day, they're too busy getting piss drunk and celebrating summer.I'm afraid that in fifty years it would become the same thing.

Because this is what everyone is used to doing. As we say in my birth country, 'it done gone bad aready!'

My boys have a memorial service at their school (they are encouraged to wear R,W,&. I think it's a good idea. Many of the little ones aren't old enough to know or remember.

I do agree with you and Whip and Ocham. However if we don't make a change to this type of mindset with some of the holidays that we do have now, those that really should be used in a more productive way, for example Veteran's Day, when will we begin? These days that really should be used more usefully are not because we've fall into a pattern of 'oh it's a long weekend time to barbecue'.

I guess in the end we are all guilty of this. How often do we not just sit at home and mope around doing nothing on a day like Memorial day or Veterans day or even Thanksgiving cause we just don't feel like doing anything. If only we put as much passion into celelbrating the meaning of holidays and special days that we do not take oof like we do with Mardi Gras and/or Christmas. Even Christmas has lost it's value, to think that this was all about celebrating and thanking the Gods for a plentyful harvest year and hope that it repeats itself the next year around. Now it's all about getting the most expensive toy, game, car or clothing 3 months in advance, hell we don't even wait for November or December anymore to go Christmas shopping, things are pre-paid, pre-orders months before they even went on sale.

My boys have a memorial service at their school (they are encouraged to wear R,W,&. I think it's a good idea. Many of the little ones aren't old enough to know or remember.

That's great. I think they should definately do that. My kids school had different activities as well. If it became a holiday, why would this change? The people who would change it or those in the Retail Industry, they will if we let them.

I guess in the end we are all guilty of this.

Yes, me included. Somehow we have forgotten what some of the holidays we get really mean. It's hard to point a finger and it wouldn't be fair. Every working person works hard to keep their families and themselves going. Having an extra day off is always smething to look forward to. It's a time that most will choose to get together and relax and have some fun. There's nothing wrong with this at all. What should be included in some of this celebration for a few of those special holidays is some meaningful aspect to it in rememberance of why we are celebrating it. The way we do Christmas, at least most people, despite the shopping frenzy and all that, is still quite an observant day for most; Easter; Thanksgiving....come to think of it, these three are probably the only three holidays that are celebrated in a significant manner.

The others have become big retail sale days. Who's to blame for this? I don't know. However, it can't continue to happen if we all decide to stop shopping on those days. Then we're also looking at what it really will mean for those folks who use those days as a means to making their quarterly sales. Will this mean loss of jobs etc.? Who knows.


In my birth country, when it's a holiday, it's a holiday. There are no stores open, except for perhaps the little food shop in the neighborhood for half a day so people can get last minute items. Everyone in the different communities organize and do somethign to remember why they celebrate that day. The media, television, newspaper, focus on that day and why we celebrate it. There are programs geared towards it.