If you're not going to school or work today, it's because it's a national holiday. The country used to celebrate the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln separately, but in 1971 Richard Nixon and Congress created a perpetual three-day weekend by merging the two holidays into a brand new one called "Presidents' Day," to honor all U.S. Presidents.

The end result is that we equate the lives and leadership of two of the greatest men in our history with those of a diverse parade of men ranging from extraordinary to mediocre and noble to dishonorable. What's more, we reduce this and other days set aside to honor crucial people and historical events to no more than a day off. I doubt whether you'll be reading many articles or seeing TV specials reminding us of the magnificent character of Washington or Lincoln.

I fear that the failure of our government, our schools and our media to empathically remind us about our roots in a way that nurtures both pride and gratitude, fosters an unhealthy, self-absorbed entitlement mentality. Sure, we'll gladly take the day off for Presidents' Day, Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and shoot off fireworks on July 4th. But we're too busy or blase to pause to reconnect with our heritage and experience real appreciation for our heroes and their sacrifices.

Despite the initial surge of patriotism following September 11, I fear we are becoming an ungrateful people, unwilling to appreciate what we have and why we have it. And we wonder why our kids don't appreciate what they have and what we do for them.

If we keep treating our most important values as meaningless relics, that's exactly what they'll become.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.