Today, we mark our birthdays, holidays such as Martin Luther
King Day, Presidents' Day, etc. These events help us to signify our growing as
a society and remind us of the past events that made us recognize these people's
effect on present society such as George Washington our first president after
freedom from Britain, Lincoln where slavery was abolished, and equality that
martin Luther King so much wanted to see apply for all Americans. All such
events are important to our modern cycles of life similar to how the Hindu and
Buddhist cultures placed a strong value on them, also.
That's a good point that the idea of nationally celebrated holidays to memorialize historical events and great leaders are supposed to remind us of where we came from. Traditionally, western cultures are more focused on the future than the past and use personal anniversaries and holidays to try to maintain some contact with the past.
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