Moments of Silence Instead of Celebratory Toasts

People have such strange traditions. Apparently, on the anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, people gather at midnight at base of the Women's Titanic Memorial dressed in evening gowns and drinking champagne to toast and honor the victims.

It's almost as strange a tradition as a college friend who watched the movie Titanic in the movie theaters once a week, because she thought it was such a beautiful "love story." She seemed to only focus on the fictional aspect of the film -- the romance between Rose and Jack -- and disregard the historically accurate part depicting how more than 1,500 people perished during the disaster.

I find it unsettling to "celebrate" anniversaries of disasters and tragic events. While I understand the human inclination to observe and mark these moments and events, I don't think celebrating is appropriate. When it occurs, the revelers seem to be more focused on themselves and the "celebration" and the sad occasion they gathered to mark.

A moment of silence would suffice in the place of a champagne toast, don't you think?

Honoring Those Who Gave So Others Might Be Saved

The inscriptions at the base of the Women's Titanic Memorial are very telling, especially the back inscription.

On the front of the memorial, the inscription reads:

TO THE BRAVE MEN
WHO PERISHED
IN THE WRECK
OF THE TITANIC
APRIL 15 1912
THEY GAVE THEIR
LIVES THAT WOMEN
AND CHILDREN
MIGHT BE SAVED

ERECTED BY THE
WOMEN OF AMERICA

 However, the back inscription provides a very honest assessment of the disaster in 1912:

TO THE YOUNG AND THE OLD
THE RICH AND THE POOR
THE IGNORANT AND THE LEARNED
ALL
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES NOBLY
TO SAVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN

While the majority of the passengers who perished in the disaster were low-income, male passengers, socioeconomic status became irrelevant very quickly as the ship began breaking apart.

From the very wealthy, such as millionaire John Astor, to the poorer passengers, such as the immigrant travelers who names were never recorded, the ocean enveloped RMS Titanic and took their lives with it. The cold sea did not discriminate based on fame and fortune; all were vulnerable.

The fact that this memorial was paid for by women of different means from around the nation is truly a fitting tribute to the victims of that tragedy a hundred years ago. Like the North Sea, these women donors did not discriminate and chose to honor the men regardless of life station who selflessly gave their lives to save others.

Women's Titanic Memorial in DC

Did you know that there is a memorial to the victims of the RMS Titanic disaster in Washington, DC? Well, neither did I until I took my Cherry Blossom cruise along Washington Channel Harbor and the Potomac River last month.

Located in the Waterfront area near the border wall of Fort McNair, the Women's Titanic Memorial was erected to honor the men who perished in the disaster who gave up their lifeboat seats to save women and children. Since today is the 100th anniversary of the disaster, it is fitting to share a photo of the Women's Titanic Memorial in this post.

The granite statue was funded by donations from women around the country, primarily raised through individual one dollar donations from more than 25,000 donors. In 1912, the memorial was placed along the Potomac River where the Kennedy Center now sits today. When construction began on the Center, this statue was moved to its current location on the Washington Channel Harbor.

One more element to note, doesn't the man's open arm position in the statue remind you of a famous movie moment? Apparently, Titantic director James Cameron replicated the statue's position in Leo DiCaprio's famous "king of the world" scene in the movie about the disaster. Further proof that sometimes art inspires art.