Closed for the Holiday

Many people think of Memorial Day as a nice, three-day weekend filled with BBQs and fun. However, it was originally intended as a day to commemorate the men and women who died for this country, and for many people, it still holds meaning. I do not know anyone personally who died fighting, but I think that it is important for everyone to remember the fallen soldiers. Many people say this, however, they don't think about what it really means. These people volunteered to leave their families, go to a foreign country, live under terrible conditions, kill other human beings, and ultimately be killed, all because in this world, that's how we settle our differences. By killing each other.
Many people would talk about human nature, and there being no other way, but I will always believe that no matter how far we think we've evolved, or no matter how much new technology gets invented, or even how many new medicines are discovered, we still have a very long way to go as long as there is still war. To me, Memorial Day is a day to remind us of what we are doing to each other when we wage wars. Killing innocent people in mass numbers until one side gives in is not the solution to any problem.
For the most part, I stayed on campus this weekend. In fact, because I wasn't feeling well, I barley left my room on Saturday. However, I did venture outside to go to Kelly Deli, only to find that it was closed. At first I was very annoyed, because after all Memorial Day is Monday, not Saturday. However, I started thinking that the people that work there have as much of a right as the students do to get a weekend off. They should be able to commemorate the fallen soldiers just like the rest of us. In fact, they might personally know more people who have died serving this country than the students do.
Also, I believe that this commemorates, in a way, what we have thanks to the soldiers. Being able to go right across the street from my dorm building to get something to eat is a form of freedom, really. It is appropriate that things on campus should be closed as a sort of symbol of what we have. After all, what you have becomes a lot more noticeable once it's no longer there.