In our life, there’s always something which is worth remembering. The Remembrance Day that falls on November 11 is one.
A historical agreement to end the fighting of World War I (the Armistice) had begun at 11 am on Nov 11, 1918. To this day the service and sacrifice of those who have served in wars and peacekeeping operations are commemorated, with a 2-minute silence at 11 am of the 11th month each year as part of the remembrance ceremony. And “lest we forget” is the phrase that people quote the most to commemorate those who died in the line of duty. The phrase in fact comes from the poem “Recessional” written by Rudyard Kipling in 1897:
“God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle line,
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!”
During the last Friday in October until November 11, many people in Canada, Hong Kong, and many other places worldwide wear a red lapel poppy. It’s a visual pledge to never forget the fallen ones. It also symbolizes the Poppy Campaign that raises funds to support veterans and their dependents.
We may wonder why it’s improper to wear a poppy beyond the Remembrance Day, and why not any other flower. That’s because the person wearing a poppy is supposed to attend a Remembrance Day ceremony, and then leave it behind on one of the wreaths. If the poppy is still worn after Nov 11, one may be judged being disrespectful to the dead or hasn’t attended any ceremony at which veterans are honoured. To be exact, it’s the Flanders Poppy, a wildflower, that grew profusely on the battlefields of the First World War.
To talk further, I’m concerned about war and peace. Regretfully, over generations, there were and still are many invaders, ambitious leaders and terrorists who destroyed the peaceful lives of the ordinary people. We have the United Nations, the NATO, and many other political and military alliance set up with a hope to maintain peace, stability and prosperity. But I’m doubtful of their capability and sincerity to work for the common good in the long-term. It’s hard not to link the repetitive mistakes and wrongdoings of us human beings with Jeremiah 17:9-10 of the Bible. It says, “The heart is deceitful above all things. And desperately wicked: Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Are we hopeless then? No, if we dare to seek the true God with all your heart and soul. The almighty and loving God has never forgotten us, so should the Remembrance Day that recalls the hostilities of wars not to be forgotten.
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