They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
November 11th is Remembrance day. The anniversary of the armistice that ended WWI, and a day where some of us remember those brave men and women who fought to defend us in wars through our modern history.
The day is not without controversy.
War is not a glorious pursuit. At its most idealised, war is the senseless killing of brave young men and women. In real life there is the widespread suffering and death of bystanders; innocent or otherwise. War makes murderers out of soldiers and even the most noble warrior sinks to perform atrocities they could scarcely have imagined.
It was not lightly that General Sherman pronounced "war is hell".
Yet there is more to the story. We of the western democracies live in extraordinary peace, freedom and prosperity. Had not brave young men and women stood up for us against Wilhelm, Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, Stalin and so many more, our privileged way of life would have long ago been trampled under an emperor's heal.
There is truth in the saying, sometimes attributed to George Orwell, "We sleep peaceably in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf."
So let us remember those young men and women who made such sacrifices so that we can enjoy our lives. Let us also remember that dictators and aspiring dictators still walk among us. Let us value those rough men and women who still stand ready to violence on our behalf, to preserve our way of life.
Lest we forget.
The day is not without controversy.
War is not a glorious pursuit. At its most idealised, war is the senseless killing of brave young men and women. In real life there is the widespread suffering and death of bystanders; innocent or otherwise. War makes murderers out of soldiers and even the most noble warrior sinks to perform atrocities they could scarcely have imagined.
It was not lightly that General Sherman pronounced "war is hell".
Yet there is more to the story. We of the western democracies live in extraordinary peace, freedom and prosperity. Had not brave young men and women stood up for us against Wilhelm, Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, Stalin and so many more, our privileged way of life would have long ago been trampled under an emperor's heal.
There is truth in the saying, sometimes attributed to George Orwell, "We sleep peaceably in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf."
So let us remember those young men and women who made such sacrifices so that we can enjoy our lives. Let us also remember that dictators and aspiring dictators still walk among us. Let us value those rough men and women who still stand ready to violence on our behalf, to preserve our way of life.
Lest we forget.
