2003-11-12
Um... first things first...
I didn't put up a post for Rememberance Day yesterday. Bad me. I didn't go out, didn't wear my poppy that I bought. But I did have my moment of silence to reflect upon the sacrifices of thousands of young men and women who fought to make our world the place it is today. And I also thought of the soldiers currently in Iraq and who were recently in Afganastan.
Every time this year, people gather at shrines and monuments, people write or act out songs or plays about the senlessness of war and how peace should/will/could prevail. Every year people bow their heads in somber contemplation and remember those who died... whether they be friends, family, loved ones of any sort or just distant strangers whose existance we only pause to consider because of their heroic actions.
Every time countless people vow as one voice "Never again!" And yet a new atrocity is always waiting to happen. It rears its ugly head, people die and suffer and mourn. Then we point fingers, blame our neighbours, fear and confusion turn to suspicion, mistrust, anger then hatred. Then battle begins, blood is spilt, soldiers leave and only the lucky return. The dust settles, bodies are buried, tears are wept and again we cry "Never again!"
And in a perfect world, or even a world capable of being perfect, humanity may someday be able to keep to that vow. Yet ours is far from perfect, and I doubt that it ever will be. The Bible says that humans were cast from Paradise for tasting the forbidden fruit. I think that, perhaps, humans could never exist in Paradise. There will always be wrong in the world, and people will always find fault in others. Because, heaven forbid that people look to themselves and find blame. Fault and blame will always exist, they have for as long as reason has and will for as long as reason will. I say 'reason' because that is the force which brings thought, then morales, then a sense of wanting to know why these morales were opposed, and by whom.
As long as fault and blame and fear exist, there will be intolerance, violence, war. It is inevetible. And as long as people suffer from the horrors of war, the cries of "Never again" will resound. But they will be forgotten and unheeded in times when we should listen to them most. "Never again" shall resound forever more, and nothing will change. It is human nature.
And now all the optimists in the world are gonna hit me upside the head. Ah well, the truth is hard to hear.
But despite the fact that I believe war will always happen and nothing will ever change, that doesn't mean I don't appreciate and value the sacrifices that soliders and peacekeepers have made for their countries. "Friend" and "enemy" alike have fought and died for what they believed in... for something that they truly felt would make the world a better place for themselves, their families and futur generations. Whether they were right or wrong shouldn't make their sacrifice any less important, and shouldn't make the loss of their lives any less distressing.
And while setting aside a special day, the eleventh of November, to take pause and reflect on these men and women is an honourable thing to do, we must never forget what they have done for us. Honouring their memory one day a year and then forgetting it the other 364... this is not by any means right. And though we don't stop and think of these people every day of our lives, we do still honour them in a way. By enjoying life and the freedoms we possess, by remembering how lucky we are and how bad things could have been, by treasuring peace and avoiding violent conflict... this is why so many people died so many years ago, and why many keep on fighting today. So that, even if they died, people would still be able to carry on, and live good lives.
I didn't expect to stay on this subject for so long... I had more of my usual lightheartedness planned for today's post. But this message is nice the way it is, and anything else would ruin it.
Though I'm saying it a day late, Happy Rememberance Day.
The Charge Of The Light Brigade
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Memorializing Events in the Battle of Balaclava, October 25, 1854
Written April 10, 1864
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
(this poem was found at http://www.nationalcenter.org/ChargeoftheLightBrigade.html)
I didn't put up a post for Rememberance Day yesterday. Bad me. I didn't go out, didn't wear my poppy that I bought. But I did have my moment of silence to reflect upon the sacrifices of thousands of young men and women who fought to make our world the place it is today. And I also thought of the soldiers currently in Iraq and who were recently in Afganastan.
Every time this year, people gather at shrines and monuments, people write or act out songs or plays about the senlessness of war and how peace should/will/could prevail. Every year people bow their heads in somber contemplation and remember those who died... whether they be friends, family, loved ones of any sort or just distant strangers whose existance we only pause to consider because of their heroic actions.
Every time countless people vow as one voice "Never again!" And yet a new atrocity is always waiting to happen. It rears its ugly head, people die and suffer and mourn. Then we point fingers, blame our neighbours, fear and confusion turn to suspicion, mistrust, anger then hatred. Then battle begins, blood is spilt, soldiers leave and only the lucky return. The dust settles, bodies are buried, tears are wept and again we cry "Never again!"
And in a perfect world, or even a world capable of being perfect, humanity may someday be able to keep to that vow. Yet ours is far from perfect, and I doubt that it ever will be. The Bible says that humans were cast from Paradise for tasting the forbidden fruit. I think that, perhaps, humans could never exist in Paradise. There will always be wrong in the world, and people will always find fault in others. Because, heaven forbid that people look to themselves and find blame. Fault and blame will always exist, they have for as long as reason has and will for as long as reason will. I say 'reason' because that is the force which brings thought, then morales, then a sense of wanting to know why these morales were opposed, and by whom.
As long as fault and blame and fear exist, there will be intolerance, violence, war. It is inevetible. And as long as people suffer from the horrors of war, the cries of "Never again" will resound. But they will be forgotten and unheeded in times when we should listen to them most. "Never again" shall resound forever more, and nothing will change. It is human nature.
And now all the optimists in the world are gonna hit me upside the head. Ah well, the truth is hard to hear.
But despite the fact that I believe war will always happen and nothing will ever change, that doesn't mean I don't appreciate and value the sacrifices that soliders and peacekeepers have made for their countries. "Friend" and "enemy" alike have fought and died for what they believed in... for something that they truly felt would make the world a better place for themselves, their families and futur generations. Whether they were right or wrong shouldn't make their sacrifice any less important, and shouldn't make the loss of their lives any less distressing.
And while setting aside a special day, the eleventh of November, to take pause and reflect on these men and women is an honourable thing to do, we must never forget what they have done for us. Honouring their memory one day a year and then forgetting it the other 364... this is not by any means right. And though we don't stop and think of these people every day of our lives, we do still honour them in a way. By enjoying life and the freedoms we possess, by remembering how lucky we are and how bad things could have been, by treasuring peace and avoiding violent conflict... this is why so many people died so many years ago, and why many keep on fighting today. So that, even if they died, people would still be able to carry on, and live good lives.
I didn't expect to stay on this subject for so long... I had more of my usual lightheartedness planned for today's post. But this message is nice the way it is, and anything else would ruin it.
Though I'm saying it a day late, Happy Rememberance Day.
The Charge Of The Light Brigade
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Memorializing Events in the Battle of Balaclava, October 25, 1854
Written April 10, 1864
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
(this poem was found at http://www.nationalcenter.org/ChargeoftheLightBrigade.html)
Comments:
Post a Comment
