Sunday, November 11, 2018

Lest We Forget - One Hundred Years of Memory


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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