Veteran days and patriotism miscontrued
Like most everything else, we’ve got this veteran thing all wrong. We distribute poppies, have parades, mourn the sacrifices as we stand in graveyards and next to cenotaphs, etc. What could we do that would honour veterans in proper context? Answer: peace on earth.
So yeah, if veterans are really to be honoured for their “sacrifice”, we must have peace on earth. Veterans’ and Remembrance Days should be all about peace on earth, to make that sacrifice worthwhile.
As long as there is violent conflict, their sacrifice is in vain. How is that not obvious? Answer: because patriotism has always been misconstrued. We should be patriotic to just one thing, peace on earth. It is so allusive as to be idiotically comical. “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?”
Daniel Ferreira
Duncan