Anzac Day

Today is ANZAC day, a day when we are to remember those who gave their lives in the defence of this country during war. Across Australia, many a dawn service was held in the memory of the fallen, thousands have marched in the cities and even more will engage in a ceremonial game of ‘two up’. It is a national public holiday.
For those with ancestors and relatives lost, it is a day of direct significance. Many people see their lost relatives & friends as ‘martyrs’ – lives given in the defence of the national values held so dearly. Many others not so directly involved also see the day from this perspective. The moniker ‘Lest We Forget’ is held high and mightily.
And this is where my confusion commences. ‘Lest We Forget’ is a great statement, but what are we to remember besides the individuals lost?
Certainly we should be remembering that it is a misdistribution of resources across the globe that causes the situations that lead to violent outcomes.
Certainly we should remember that it is the decision of the encumbered government regarding a nations participation in War.
Certainly we should remember that poverty, and all the deprivations that go with it are the causes of Fascism & Totalitarianism. WW2 would have never happened & Hitler would never have risen to power if the German populace was ‘comfortably well off’ post WW1. The whole human race is responsible for every violent act, every skirmish & every war.
Certainly we should remember that few governments seem to have learned the cost of war, in Human terms. ‘War’, has increasingly become a situation of ‘no winners’. Vietnam was unresolved & now the war in Iraq is in a similar situation. Our young men & women are simply ‘cannon fodder’ for our rulers.
Certainly we should take this day, and all it means, and project it into the future. Are we to continue using this most extreme form of violence in a world that has outgrown it?
Certainly we should understand that we are not ‘predisposed’, genetically or otherwise to the use of violence, and that it is certain that the world will find a future free of violence, one day.
Certainly we should work together to resolve the imbalance of resources. Certainly we should realise that we are all human, and we have but one planet to call home. We should look after both.
Certainly we should remove those people in positions of power & influence who fail to denounce violence, through ‘non-violent’ means. We do elect our governments, more or less. We do have some choice.
Vale to those who have lost their lives at the hands of other people through the futile violence of war.

Lest We Forget..