It made me sad today to see how few people came out to our little town's remembrance day parade and ceremony. I understand that our lives are busy, and that people's time is precious. I understand that the world wars happened "a long time ago", and that many kids go to assemblies in their schools this time of year. I also know that I cry every year as they read out the names of the soldiers who have died, not to mention the millions of others whose lives have been forever changed because of battle.
I am not in favour of war. I don't think that it is the way for us to solve our problems, and I believe that often those who stand to gain the most from battle, and those who stand to lose the most, are two separate groups. Nonetheless, the sacrifice that soldiers, and their families make is incredible. I think of the thousands of mothers who have watched their sons, not too terribly much older than my boys, go off to war and never come back. I think of those men and women in battle, cold and lonely and hurt, miles away from home. I think of those people who came home from war, whole on the outside but irrevocably injured on the inside.
Regardless of your personal views of warfare, lets not forget the people who this day is in memory of. This day is not about political protest. It is not about international affairs, or oil prices, or conspiracy theories. It is about people, and lost lives. They are worth a few hours of your time on a November Sunday afternoon.
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