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Remembrance Day Reflections

I love remembrance day. I appreciate the time it gives the world to pause, reflect on past wars, the lives they cost, and pray that “never again” will one day come true. This year, I encapsulated that hope in my shortest poem ever:

Let “never again” become so obvious we never have to say it again.
(http://crypeace.org/news/never-again)

Amen.

I also wrote a poem from the perspectives of an Israeli and a Palestinian, remembering war but hoping for peace (I Want (I Don't Want)).

This year, I received a white poppy from my friend, Susana Ochi. Made by women in Toronto who advocate for peace, not war, I wear it proudly, as a compliment to the red poppies with which honour our veterans. The white poppy was introduced in 1933 by Britain’s Peace Pledge Union, which advocates for a warless world (http://www.ppu.org.uk). In the past, there has been conflict between supporters of white versus red poppies, but today, especially, let’s not let a symbol for peace cause division.

 

Remembering Rightly

In Canada in 2015, Remembrance Day is patriotic, and for most people, easy. We honour our fallen soldiers, primarily from World War I and II. Very few veterans are still alive, and the conflict was not fought on our soil. But for countries which are actively in conflict, or which have lived through war in the recent past, remembering war is not so easy. It brings up messy, tragic, traumatic, and political memories. How can a country remember conflict peacefully, when it is still experiecing the after-effects today?

I believe justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation are the keys.

In The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World, Miroslav Volf speaks eloquently of the need for right remembrance, in a manner that

brings healing. He advocates for thoughtful remembrance, versus forgiving and forgetting, and reconciliation. It had a tremendous impact on my thinking, and I highly recommend it.

One of the greatest reconcilers of post-conflict “enemies” I know of is Father Michael Lapsley, from South Africa. A victim of violence due to his anti-apartheid work in South Africa, his suffering, and the resultant spiritual growth, led him to found the Institute for Healing Memories. It brings perpetrators and victims of disparate incidents together in intimate group settings to help both find their own healing. (Learn more in my article, 25 years after being bombed, one of my heroes is healing others).

Today, as we remember the victims of past wars, those suffering current conflicts, and the injustices that threaten future peace, let's remember rightly - towards peace and reconciliation, healing and human rights.