When i was growing up in the 1980s and 90s, i thought we commemorated all the dead on Remembrance day. Not just allied soldiers who died, but the enemy soldiers, too. Most important of all, i thought we stood in silence to remember the innocent people who got in the way.
I believed that Remembrance Day was a moment of profound guilt and awareness for what humanity could do to itself. I still believe this.
When you commemorate the dead, think about what you’re actually commemorating. Think about Why They Fought, yes, but also try to think about why we, as a people, allow such atrocities to happen. Remember what we’ve done to ourselves, as a people. Remember what we’re capable of.
We are a violent work.