Tomorrow is remembrance Sunday in the UK. This year it is quite special. Not only does it fall on the 11th but it marks 100 years since the end of the great war to end all wars. All over the UK in each town and city you will see a cenotaph. These monuments were constructed to honor the fallen. They were built by public demand and donations. Each year veterans of conflict, servicemen, servicewomen and scouts etc, Gather there to pay homage to all those that gave their lives so that we may live in freedom. Wreaths of poppies are laid, a minutes silence observed and this poem is recited. Can I ask all who read this post to spare a minute at the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to remember them.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
They call it the Great War, but to honest, I don’t think it was all that great.
In the US, it used to be “Armistice Day,” a thoughtful day of reflection on not only the sacrifices of those who suffered, but on the stupid, pointless, brutal nature of that totally unnecessary conflict. Now, it has been predictably turned into a rah-rah, militaristic celebration intended to cultivate another generation of sacrificial lambs with the support of the wider population. We used to celebrate the peace, now we celebrate the war.