November the 11th is the anniversary of the end of the ‘Great War’ as it was known. Millions and millions of people had their lives shortened and their existences turned upside down by the trauma of that event. Even those as far as here in Australia were impacted by such events all those years ago. Many left our shores in search of what they thought was adventure only to die in a muddy quagmire in northern Europe were the reality of industrial modernity provided the ultimate reality check to the ‘innocence’ of ideal. Many now lie in unmarked graves remembered only be name.
Perhaps it was this ‘loss of innocence’ that makes the result of World War One even more poignant. We look back with a degree of detachment believing, but more likely, hoping that it will never happen again. The only arbiters of that will be ourselves. We only have to look at current world events to appreciate that, unfortunately, war is part of human nature and is never far away.
This is why it is important today to pause and remember all who died in all conflicts, whether they be combatants or simply innocent victims. War is not glorious, it is horrific and most will luckily live their lives devoid of experiencing it first hand. For those who lived and died in the firing line of human conflict we say thank you for your service. Many did not know exactly what they were fighting for but they went, suffered and died for something they believed in. No matter which side of a war people found themselves on, the commonality was nothing short of horrific where the real enemy was the spectre death not the opposition.
Most of today’s memories will be for the ‘glories’ of the ‘winners’. That is not what we should focus on. It is the individual who bears the greatest cost for events like these. It is their families who wear the scars for generations as even those that return from conflict are ‘never the same’. Our energies should be focus not on the ‘glory of victory’ but on celebrating the courage of the individual who endured the worst that humanity can throw at them. Most all, we should remember all those who never had a chance to fulfil their potential as war cut their them down in their prime.
So on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, pause, reflect, and remember those who lived and died through the unspeakable. Don’t celebrate victory, celebrate humanity and resilience. Finally, take a moment always to be a little kinder to someone else as this is the only way that we have a hope of avoiding war and changing the human propensity for it.
Lest We Forget.
If you are interested in the history of the ANZAC battlefields of World War One visit my site – http://www.anzacsinfrance.com/
CIAOPS 