Of all the 'holidays', Remembrance Day is the one that means the most to me. Really, it is the only one I can stand behind and endorse. It's the only one that moves me. The religious holidays are nice for getting together with family and friends, but to my non-believing mind, they don't have much of an impact. Thanksgiving is okay, but there is that 'we stole your land' vibe to contend with. Canada Day (our wedding anniversary, btw) is always fun, and does a good job at instilling the patriotic feeling, but it's just a carnival.
Remembrance Day, though, is Honest and True.
I wonder what kind of soldier I'd have been in a combat situation. I would hope that I'd be the type who was among the first up the hill, or the type who'd sacrifice my life for others. I suspect, however, that I'm more selfish, more cowardly, more analytical than that. Of course, it's because I've lived my life completely in a safe and secure country that I can afford to be selfish, cowardly and analytical. I wonder how I'd perform in a combat in which I truly believed I was fighting for right. I don't know. For that lack of knowledge, I am thankful.
What I do know, though, is that I get very emotional at the Cenotaph when the old soldiers march and the bus of ailing veterans drives by. I appreciate true and honest sacrifice.
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