So today, another Rememberance Sunday, is #100years since the guns fell silent after the blood shed of World War I. All over the country, communities are holding services of remembrance to thank all those who were involved in the conflict in one way or another, and to commemorate the lives of those that that did not return from their service.
In Caldecote, the Remembrance Sunday service was held at the Village Hall, and wreaths laid at the Peace Garden by various community groups. The sun shone, as if in support of the day.
It was good to see so many residents at the Rememberance Sunday service, from the young children to the not so young adults. The village hall was full, and in fact was standing room only. It struck me as we all shared those moments together, young and old, given the current atmosphere caused by Brexit, just how important this commemoration is #LestWeForgetThem and the gift we have been given to live peacefully.
Whilst it is #100years since the great war ended, many have given their lives in various other conflicts since then, including World War II, Falklands, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and many more. It begs the question as to why we still have wars? As we heard today, it is due to fear, of those who are different to us, of situations we don’t understand or in my view, chose to misunderstand.
This does not have to happen, we should look to understanding and embracing our differences as adding to the enrichment of our lives. We should seek as much as possible to listen to, hear and try to understand others view points. We don’t have to agree, but we can disagree respectfully and find common ground. But maybe that is asking too much?
The last two years have been full of uncertainty, brought on by the Brexit vote on 23 June 2016. The vote was close, as we all know, and fuelled by the blaming of the EU as being the cause of what are clearly domestic problems, of blaming immigrants for the shortage of local services, wage depression and lots more. People were led to believe that leaving the EU would restore our sovereignty, even though we never lost that sovereignty. The big red bus with £350 million emblazoned on the side played a prominent role in the outcome of the vote.
The division that the vote has caused within families and friends in massive, undeniably so. There is so much negativity, so much angst. The EU is not to blame for the NHS not getting enough funding, or for DEFRA being late with payments to farmers, or for the lack of investment by our government in schools and other public services, and everything else that is wrong with our government.
Blaming our neighbours in the EU without understanding just how entwined we are is not right. Rememberance Sunday is remembering that millions fought and died in WWI and WWII to bring peace to Europe and that peace has been fostered over the years by working together, trading together and sharing technological knowledge with each other. Not being afraid, but striving to live in harmony and giving of our best to each other. The UK has thrived by being in the EU, and yet now due to fear and misunderstanding, that harmony is being broken, and for what? Some sort of utopia that is in minds and not reality, the hankering after an empire that can never return?
Are we forgetting already? Did they die in vain? I sure hope not. Every year we commemorate the ending of wars on Remembrance Sunday, but it seems we are not taking heed of lessons learnt from those wars. I hope that today is a day when we all reflect and remember the real reason why we are commemorating all those that fought for us and especially those that lost their lives. We work better together with friends and allies across the world but especially with our neighbours
Let us continue to honour them, not just on this one day we call Rememberance Sunday, but every day and by continuing to foster unity and harmony, within our communities locally, and between us and our European friends and neighbours.
#WeWillNotForgetThem #Rememberance2018