Lest we Forget

November 11, 1918. The end of the great war. The end of the war that would end all wars. The end of killing and destruction in the world. The beginning of great dreams and utopian ideals. The start of the roaring 20's. Those dreams and ideals have long since faded away in the face of the harsh reality of the wickedness of human nature, but every year on November 11 we continue to have a day of remembrance for those millions of men and women that laid down their lives so that we might be able to enjoy freedom and (relative) peace today.

Inspired by the poem In Flanders Fields it has become a longstanding tradition to wear a poppy in the days leading up to and on Remembrance Day. But why is this? What is the point of the poppy? Well, as the slogan says it is "lest we forget." Inspiring words perhaps, but have we forgotten? Do we even know what it is that we don't want to forget? Remembrance day is not just about remembering those brave souls that died for our freedom some 90 years ago, it is about remembering what it was they were fighting for. It is about remembering that we still have men risking their lives so that we can live in relative peace and safety. It is about remembering that human nature has not changed in 90 years and that what happened then could happen again.

Nearly 90 years have passed since that memorable day in history, and what has mankind learned in those 90 years? I hate to sound cynical but I think we have forgotten. We wear the poppy and we have fuzzy feelings about those men that laid down their lives in the service of their country, but we let those very freedoms for which they died slip through our fingers. We passively sat by and watched as abortion was legalized, we shrug our shoulders in resignation at the acceptance of euthanasia, we hopelessly shake our heads as the government chips away at our religious rights and we think that somehow we should not ever have to go to war. There are things in this life that are worth fighting for and we must be sure that we never, ever, forget this. Untold millions have died so that we could have the great blessing of living in the free countries that we do. May we never be guilty of dishonoring them by dropping the torch they have passed on to us. Wear your poppy with great pride and don't ever forget that some things are worth dying for.

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.

- John McCrae