Remembrance Day

Today at 1100 hrs I led a small act of Remembrance at a Rural Church, with about a dozen people.   This was the second time I was privileged to share with those there the words and prayers of reconciliation and forgiveness which allows us to pay our respects to all who have suffered and died through the wars since WW1.

Coming from a military background, so having been involved for over 45 years with these ceremonies, perhaps I might feel a little jaded, but on the contrary, each passing years makes it more poignant and I grieve for those I know who have suffered.

I find myself wondering why mankind seems to be so set on its own mutual destruction through war, and its causes.    As a soldier, I was sent to places, where I did my duty, and If I am honest, did not really think about why I was there, or what I was doing.  It was enough that the Government sent us and we were doing our duty.  

How my perspective has changed, now I see war as an evil and perhaps a manifestation of that evil which is the diametric opposite of good.  And I wonder how I would justify my actions in those situations if challenged by someone, particularly my grand children, and perhaps to my maker.

Life is so precious, it should never be sacrificed in any war, and I pray that we will all come to the realization of how unnecessary it actually is.