November 11th...Remembrance Day, in Canada...

November 8, 2009.

This coming Wednesday is the November 11th recognition of those who have served their country, in the military, who went to war when it was required, and in many cases, did not return.

Those who survived gather to remember, and civilians do the same.

No soldier seeks war.

I've often felt that we are "prisoners of our time".

The First World War, referred to at the time as The Great War, was meant to be the war that would end all wars. It did sever a way of life, completely, and the ensuing despair did bring forth a hedonistic party animal lifestyle in the 20s, often described as a time of largesse.

The 30s, for those who study history, was marred by another time of societal severing...the Great Depression created dissolution of families, businesses, lifestyles.

The Second World War, in the forties, required enormous sacrifices, once again. For those of military age, or living in a country that was suddenly occupied by another country, it wasn't necessarily a "choice" to act in a particular way.

That is what I mean by being a "prisoner of one's time". Things afoot, on a large scale, can certainly get a response from us, but we didn't necessarily create the conditions or put something in place. We are, though, always, in charge of our attitude to events that occur in our finite time span.

No matter what we may think of military activities, no matter what we may feel about evocative words such as "war" and "peace", we can all remember and respect courage.

People in their time, and we don't always fully understand previous time periods from the platform of "today", reacted with patience, with courage, with selflessness, with caring...it is always important to remember valour, an old-fashioned word, yes, but a very real thing.

Locally, the Cenotaph service in Ganges Village, at Centennial Park, is a way to observe sacrifice and valour, and the individual actions that helped to create our way of life, today. If you are able to attend, be there, and show your support.

Another moment in our community's annual life.