The Illusion of Remembrance Day

I appreciate what a massive event the war was and how it has shaped the world in which we live today, but I see some problem with being absolute about it.

They played brass band music at the ceremony in London. I thought this is great for the people of the old wars, a remembrance of Great Britain, its empire and the grandeur of dreams in those days. The world has changed for the people fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. England is no longer a super-power, like its rugby it has to accept a status along side second rate countries. It is a nation which has to accomodate many histories and peoples under one roof, in which politics in no longer unanimous and one sided. In a world where power is shared by many nations and people. The music has changed also, I wondered what the military music of the future might be? Some electronic beat music (an evolution from the fixed strong military beats anyway), but a music that has been absorbed into a world of decadence and party going, quite a different tune. Imagine guitar/techno/world music at the remembrance days of the future, a slightly odd mix I feel.

Of course in reality they should be having identical services in Germany, Japan, Iraq and Afghanistan even in Al-Qaida for their fallen - who regardless of our own position on the conflicts are never-the-less in memory of people who have died for the causes they believe in. It seems odd that the Glorious dead of the British nations and allies are just lucky to have been fightin on the side of Good, and all those Germans were unlucky to have been fighting the side of Evil - amazing coincidence - was there a gene or something in the German water which made all those Germans suddenly blind to what the British soldiers could so obviously see?

It's much clearer to make a distinction between the process of war and national allegience, and then to see the process of history and after the match analysis as different things.

We are expected to fight for Britain and British citizens without regard for whether our country is right or wrong. If we expect the Germans to have laid down their weapons because they realised they were fighting for Evil, am I allowed to do the same? No.

If we expect Al-qaida to stop fighting because they are evil, murderous bastards then we must also give our own soldiers the right to stop fighting when they think it is wrong!

Its a mess. War means death and destruction - whichever side you are on, it matters not. War is Evil, killing is not Good. If all soldiers could see that then we would have peace. It is only because Germans and British soldiers are blind to the evil that they both didn't lay down their weapons (well when they did in the Christmas Truce they were threatened with execution - loyal people those British and German commanders.)

There is only one position when it comes to conflict be it argument, or fighting and that is no position.

Armistice remembrance is a legacy of the way things were, and the future will be the way things are going to be. Our only question is whether we will accept the future, change it, or be indifferent to the endless game all together.