I hugely respect the work of the armed forces and think it very important to mark 11 November and think about why governments send young people off to die. But I'm worried that this year people are not reflecting on why a war has happened and considering how they could stop future wars - instead they're displaying nationalistic pride; the exact reverse of what it should be.
We should without doubt honour the efforts our service personnel willingly do for us. You don't need to agree with the politics of a war or necessarily the use of violence to recognise and celebrate that these people are risking their lives to to try and make the world a better place. That's worth lauding. If you disagree with the politics - take it up with the politicians. But we should also support the heroic work of men and women that are doing everything they can to make the world a better place, and are prepared to lay down their lives for our treasured values if necessary. That needs to be marked and celebrated, and we do it on armed forces day!
But 11 November is not about that. Armed forces days and other celebrations of militaries are nationalist displays, celebrating the might and power of a country. That is exactly the opposite of what this day is here to mark. The day is an act of rememberance, to mark the time when peace finally broke out in the First World War. This was not a moment for celebration, but solemn relief that finally we had decided to cease focussing on our differences, and try and come together. It is a time to ponder peace & cooperation and think on what happens if we fail to do this.
But 11 November is not about that. Armed forces days and other celebrations of militaries are nationalist displays, celebrating the might and power of a country. That is exactly the opposite of what this day is here to mark. The day is an act of rememberance, to mark the time when peace finally broke out in the First World War. This was not a moment for celebration, but solemn relief that finally we had decided to cease focussing on our differences, and try and come together. It is a time to ponder peace & cooperation and think on what happens if we fail to do this.
By turning 11 November into a celebration of the armed forces, we are encouraging nationalism and the politics of difference. This promotes global segregation and hints at the exact atmosphere that led to WWI and WWII in the first place.
This could not be much further from the intention, as the message after both wars was "never again", and to create more of a sense single humanity, enshrined through cooperative international organisations such as the League of Nations and then United Nations. These organisations may have failed or be imperfect - but that's no excuse for giving up. Surely it is the reverse? If we see that we have failed to reach our goals, it is even more important to take time to reflect on what are goals are, why we have them, and how we can get there - namely by using Armistice (or Veterans) Day to remember that many people had to die because we failed to cooperate. To stop such horrors happening again, we must work harder, and renew efforts to come together.
This could not be much further from the intention, as the message after both wars was "never again", and to create more of a sense single humanity, enshrined through cooperative international organisations such as the League of Nations and then United Nations. These organisations may have failed or be imperfect - but that's no excuse for giving up. Surely it is the reverse? If we see that we have failed to reach our goals, it is even more important to take time to reflect on what are goals are, why we have them, and how we can get there - namely by using Armistice (or Veterans) Day to remember that many people had to die because we failed to cooperate. To stop such horrors happening again, we must work harder, and renew efforts to come together.
I can sum this up in one Facebook comment I saw, where a person sang the praises for someone else reciting the flanders field poppies poem, which effectively said (in the words of Team America) "Freedom Isn't Free". That film highlights EVERYTHING that is wrong with nationalist-fuelled militarism. It is terrifying to see that people are effectively supporting the message of a movie that deliberately works to satire the idea that gung-ho military heroism is a good thing.
We need to be do the exact opposite to what is depicted there, take the opportunity to reflect on the conflicts in this world, and think what a tragedy it is that we've so far failed to find any better way to resolve our global problems than having to send people to die for us.
We need to be do the exact opposite to what is depicted there, take the opportunity to reflect on the conflicts in this world, and think what a tragedy it is that we've so far failed to find any better way to resolve our global problems than having to send people to die for us.