(Photo: Jon Bunting;)As we parade and display poppies in remembrance of the armistice that ended World War I, the war to end all wars, I am reminded of the last stanza of the timeless poem "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
Parades and displays of poppies accomplish nothing save to allow the multitude, those who make war easily or ignore completely its insanity and horror, to feign support and appreciation for the sacrifices of the few, those who do the killing and the dying. In reality, parades and displays of poppies are a designation of the few as the purveyors of death and destruction, and a proclamation by the multitude of their status as observer and hence, their innocence, an ablution of culpability and guilt for immoral war and crimes against humanity.
Parades and displays of poppies neither educate nor inform about the nature of war. Rather, they celebrate and perpetuate the myth of honor and glory, encourage war amnesia and provide veterans a false refuge from confronting the realities of their experiences on the battlefield, making healing more difficult if not impossible - 22 veterans commit suicide each day. Just as tragic, parades and displays of poppies inspire and encourage young people to enlist in the military and to become the future cannon fodder and instruments of slaughter for those criminals who benefit and profit from perpetual war.
continue here for more war poetry and short videos
No comments:
Post a Comment