The Importance of Remembrance Day

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

November 11, 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. For as long as I can remember, every November, I have worn a poppy to show my gratitude and to pay tribute to the soldiers who have died for Canada.

For the last several years, there seems to be a growing number of voices claiming that Remembrance Day, and the wearing of poppies, glorifies war, and that we should no longer participate in the parades and memorials that happen on that day.

When asked why Remembrance Day is important, my kids made me proud. Their answers ranged from “we have to remember those who gave up their lives to protect our right to live free lives”, to “if we forget, we will become ungrateful for the country we live in”, and “we have to honour the soldiers who died to protect us”. Clearly, somewhere along the line, the message that we are lucky to live in Canada has sunk into their minds.

With four teenagers in the house, the importance of Remembrance Day is a personal one. These young people have past, and current, family members who have served in the military. The sacrifices of their relatives are not lost on them. For some of their classmates however, and too many others, because those wars were so long ago, the idea is that they are no longer relevant.

That idea is wrong. We should remember the past, and pass on that history to our children.

But why?

Because we are lucky to live in a country where we are free to have differing opinions from our friends and neighbours. Because we live in a country where we are able to practice whatever religion we want. Because we live in a country where you can disagree with the government without fear of being killed. And the reason we have those freedoms is because others stood up when this country asked them to fight for it.

Remembering the dead is something done by cultures all over the world. Mexicans, and some of us who have no connection at all to Mexico, just celebrated Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) last week (in 2017, the movie Coco, was all about this particular commemoration). I have yet to hear of anyone complaining that we should not remember the members of our families who have passed on. We tell stories to our children and grandchildren of the times we spent we those who meant the most to us. We do this so that their memory lives on; so that their lives will continue to have meaning for generations to come. Remembrance Day is simply a time when our entire country remembers the sacrifices made for us by people we do not even know.

On November 11 each year, is it too much to ask that we take a little time out of our busy lives to stop, to reflect, to teach our children, and to remember those who died so that we can live in freedom?

I don’t think so.