Remembrance Day
I feel the need to weigh in on what has apparently become somewhat of a dispute. There seems to be an opinion circulating (see: White Poppies), that remembrance day is a pro war, pro conflict, political soapbox for which the corporations and warmongers can use the sacrifice of men and women, past and present, to support their nefarious ends. I have a big, fat, juicy problem with that.
There is a feeling out there, that as a race, we should be past war. We should be past physical, armed combat, to resolved differences of opinion. That we have grown from our history, that we are evolved. I will only touch on this briefly, as that in itself is a rant for another day. The thought that we are evolved what so ever is the biggest bit of bullshit going. We live in a dog eat dog, every person for themselves, the strong will survive society. And that is just the developed world. Human nature is in itself, selfish. Violence is one of our oldest trades, and will continue to be so. Think I am wrong? Let me break it down to a smaller, more understandable sample size, as global conflict may be too heavy a cross. Imagine your sister, your mother, brother, son, daughter, cousin. Now imagine that person has been sexually assaulted, beaten, killed. What is the response, to discuss a solution? Should we go talk to the offender, reason with them, explain the moral issues at hand, and how they should, in the future, please refrain? No? Perhaps they should be arrested, and apprehended. Separated from the law abiding public. I guess we should ask them to nicely come it at their leisure? You get where I am going with this. War is just an extension of this. Human nature at some point will only understand force. History has proven it, and modern times prove it again. There is genocide, mass rape, torture, discrimination, abuse, control, both of sexual orientation, and of race. Shit, you can get thrown in jail for looking at a guy wrong in many parts of the world.
Now you say, ok, fine, but WE are past that. We in Canada are better than that. We need to be an example of a better way. Great. Tell that to 1/3 of the worlds population that cannot hop on their laptop, like I am, and spew their opinion. Tell that to the countries where women are still treated like second class citizens. Tell that to the people that have to deal with the fact that their being gay is a CAPITAL OFFENCE. Now your going to say, likely, something to do with the fact that we are not fighting those fights. Our government gets us into wars for gain, not for justice. Not for freedom. Fine. That is another argument for another day, but I will say, that in the history of war, that has not always been the case. There is no such thing as a pretty, perfect war. Should we have sued for peace in WW1 or WW2? Should we have allowed a society to flourish, and develop, that would kill you on sight, just for being of a different religion, colour, or creed? Is that an elevated state of being? "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" – Edmund Burke
All this divergent argument, scrambled as it may be, leads towards today. Remembrance day. Perhaps the war in Iraq, or Afghanistan is wrong. Perhaps Vietnam, WW1, WW2, Koria, Yugoslavia, Sudan, Somalia, etc. Perhaps they were all wrong. Perhaps the wars of past and present have been a continual fuck fest of the few leading the many, slaughtering the young and innocent, to further faten their pockets. Perhaps those many millions died, for no better reason than that. EVEN if that is the case, which I doubt anyone could argue properly, than how do those people, those combatants not deserve at least a day of our respect? For thousands of years, war has been a commodity. The soldiers themselves, a tool, a means to an end. How does that lessen the sacrifice of the soldier? How does that diminish what they have done, and continue to do? Do you think a soldier, fresh back from Afghanistan, gives a flying fuck whether you believe that he should be there or not? Cause I certainly wouldn’t. There are other days of the year to debate the political process, the reasons, good and bad. The interference, the oil, the nity and the gritty. Today is no that day. November 11th will never be that day.
Today is honoring, and above all, RESPECTING, the decision made by soldiers across Canada, whether for the right reasons, the wrong reasons, for education, to escape poverty, cause they were fucking bored. They joined, they SIGNED UP, knowing full well they would likely be putting their life on the line before their service is up. For over a hundred years, Canadians have answered the call, in war time, and in peace, to serve. That is what this day is about. Remembering, and honoring, and RESPECTING, that service. I cannot speak for anyone, but I can only imagine that a veteran, whether old or young, does not want your pity. Does not want your shame. And at the very least, does not want your fucking opinion. Buy a beer. Say thanks. Take a minute. Respect the fact that they have gone above, and beyond. And continue to. Until we live in a society, a GLOBAL society, that can treat equality equally, until we live in a society where the basic freedoms are available to all, and not only the privileged. Until we live in a society where the needs of the many truly outweigh the needs of the few, we must take AT LEAST this one day. Because they have done something that I have not done. Likely you have not done. They have stood up, and acted. Suffered. And sometimes, survived.
Now is the time to Remember. Remind. And most of all, RESPECT.