Welcome to today’s reflection.
Today I reflect on the different reasons people gather to remember those affected by war, and whether remembering the past might also shape the future we hope to create.
Today, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, people across the world will pause to remember.
Here in Britain, we call it Armistice Day, marking the moment in 1918 when the guns finally fell silent on the Western Front. At eleven o’clock, many will observe two minutes of silence, remembering those who died in the two world wars and subsequent conflicts.
But our worldwide community here on Sacred & Secular led me to think of something I had not really considered before. Although millions of people observe this same date, we do not all approach it in quite the same way.
In America, today is Veterans Day, an occasion primarily dedicated to honouring those who have served in the armed forces, including those still living. In France, the emphasis remains on the Armistice itself, the moment the fighting stopped. In Britain, our traditions are closely associated with those who lost their lives, the poppy, the Cenotaph and the familiar words, “We will remember them.”
Of course, these traditions overlap considerably. But the differences made me wonder about something. Even when we gather around the same war memorial and observe the same silence, are we necessarily remembering the same things?
