There have been commercials all
week reminding us of this momentous day – one hundred years since the silencing
of the guns of the “war to end all wars”. Today we are asked to remember those
fallen men and women who have died to . . . ? I find myself stumbling over
words such as “to keep us safe”, “to keep democracy alive” and other
catchphrases that are supposed to make us feel proud but I resist. I find that
I cannot be a hypocrite about how I feel respecting wars.
Do not be vexed with me or
misunderstand me. I do respect and grieve for the fallen soldiers and perhaps that
is the point; indeed it ought to be the only point of today “Remembrance Day”.
I grieve for the parents of the fallen and hope that they can carry on without
their child.
At the same time I wish to say
that we ought not to glorify war or think that war
is the solution to any of our world problems. Indeed think about how many have
died in war since Nov 11, 1918; millions upon millions. It disturbs me to see
documentaries and movies coming out which, in my perception, glorifies war and
makes young people want to sign up to be a hero. I would much rather that they
sign up to find a solution for Peace.
So as we remember our fallen let
us also spend a little time thinking about the solution to prevent more Fallen.
I close with these words from
good old Abe.
“I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be
enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of
affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and
patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land,
will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will
be, by the better angels of our nature.” Abraham Lincoln, First
Inaugural Address (closing paragraph)
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