Remembrance

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

By John McCrae (1915)

This poem is one I've not read fully before now although it's really famous. I've been thinking about remembrance recenlty, since it's only two days until Armistice Day or Veteran's Day / Remembrance Day depending on where you're from.

It's funny how the world's getting smaller. I'm a Scot living in Canada, surrounded by people from all corners of the world. I've met Germans here and had the somewhat morbid thought that if we had been born fifty years earlier, we'd have been forced to be enemies, though we would have no personal grievances with each other. We are truly blessed to live in a time where we have the freedom to do whatever work we want. I just can't imagine what it'd be like to be forced into military service. It's one thing to join the army if that's your choice of career but the thing that always stands out to me about the two world wars was the fact that the majority of these soldiers weren't people who had chosen a career in the army. They were regular people like me. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The lucky ones were separated from their loved ones for years, only to return home with a head full of nightmares. The others sufferred all kinds of pain, torment and death. It's just such a tragic waste of life.

I'm not saying I'm anti-war. I think there are times when you have to defend your own if you are truly threatened. If we hadn't fought off the German army in the 2nd World War, we would have been taken over and come under the power of Hitler. I have no doubt in my mind that we were right to defend ourselves there. Admittedly, some modern wars are a bit more "grey" in terms of the immediate threat to the average individual. I don't want to get into that discussion here, though.

I just want to say "thanks" to those who gave up their careers, health and lives to protect the future of Scotland, my home. Here's to learning from our past.