Today, Japan celebrates the national holiday Coming of Age day (
Seijin no hi). In Japan twenty is the age of adulthood and the age drinking, voting and smoking are legal. It's a festival for all of the people who have turned twenty years old during the previous year. Since I don't know anyone who has turned 20 recently I really can't celebrate this one, but It's a great excuse for a party if you happen to know one.
Today is also Panama's Martyrs' Day. It's a day to remember the tragic day of January 9, 1964 when twenty two Panamanians were killed in a fight that broke out between the kids that lived in Panama City and U.S. citizens living in the Canal Zone at Balboa high school. The U.S. broke the agreement that the Panama flag and the American flag be flown together, by raising just the American flag. Close to 200 students from the local Panama high school came to raise the flag of Panama. A fight broke out between the students and the U.S. soldiers when the soldiers tried to stop them and the Panama flag was torn. A three day riot broke out killing twenty two Panamanian students and four American soldiers. All schools and businesses are closed in remembrance and mourning in Panama today, but most Americans have no idea.
This makes me really sad. I don't understand why people don't just get along. Just because you don't share, agree with or understand another persons race, culture, religion, believes, sexuality, lifestyle or anything else doesn't give you the right to treat that person any worse than your brother, sister, mother or father. If I don't teach my kids anything besides being compassionate towards others that'd be ok by me.
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