Time, many people say, is made up. We keep time even though the same unit of time can seem like forever to some, and a second to others. Many people say that time heals all wounds. But what about when it doesn’t? My first post is going to be about the time we give people to grieve in our country. As I’m sure it’s different in different nations and cultures (e.g. Day of the Dead in Mexico) death is a subject we don’t like to talk about, and grieving is often treated with a time limit on how long it is acceptable to grieve, how we are able to grieve, and most of all WHO is the most worthy of grief. Yes, we grieve our loved ones but we also grieve national heroes, icons, celebrities, and eras. The time we are given in our nation to grieve depends on what public spheres we are a part of. If you’re in college, you can withdraw because of hardship but only the University can approve what qualifies as a hardship withdrawal. If you work for a company that supports time off for stress or emotional hardship, you’re in luck. Although the program might not take care of everything, this essentially means that you will have some time off to grieve, expecting that you will come back to work “good as new”, because let’s be honest. Your worth in this country is based on what you can produce. Not producing means you’re not making the company money therefore you become expendable. The thing is, grief is not a timed process. The hole someone’s spirit leaves in your heart may nut ever be full again. In fact, when describing grief, no one says it gets better. You just learn to live with it and not let it consume your every move. At best, you might end up making peace with their passing. And that’s okay. My next post will delve into WHO we can grieve and the exceptions made for subjects of national and militant grief.