It’s good to remember. If we don’t, we risk our character.

G. K. Chesterton said that gratitude is the queen of the virtues. Today of all days we should remember this. Realizing we owe a debt to those who sacrificed for our good encourages us to live for the good of future generations ourselves.

In his classic book, “The Crisis of Our Age,” sociologist Pitirim A. Sorokin described the difference between cultures on the decline and cultures that were progressing. The main difference, he said, was whether the people in that culture were living for immediate gratification or ordering their lives around higher ideals that drove them to build for the future.

Out-of-control national and personal debt is evidence we struggle to live for the future. Remembering the sacrifices of others on our behalf can restore our vision. So amidst the cookouts and activities of this memorial day, take a minute to remember and be thankful for those who gave their lives for us. It’ll do us all good.