Yesterday was remembrance day, and like so many other who are and are not entrenched in military life, I headed out to a remembrance day ceremony.
I went there with the intention of remembering why I have the choices that I have today, why I have the freedoms, I went there thankful for everything I have in my life because I live in this amazing country and because of the people who fought so hard and those who continue to fight so hard to make sure it stayed that way not just for Canadians but for everyone. I went there to give support to some friends who are currently dealing with their significant others being deployed; and to support some of my friends that are currently deployed themselves.
It is because of the support that I wanted to give to them that for the first time in a while I was unable to ignore the cynicism around me. The 2 men who stood behind us and for the entire ceremony chatted about their views and opinions about what should be done over in Afghanistan, oblivious to anyone else's feelings, unaware that what they were saying was not falling on deaf ears, but instead was falling on the ears of people who could have gone without hearing that. It is because of the support that I wanted to give to them that had me turning around shortly after the ceremony to kindly ask another boisterous by-stander to maybe just speak his opinions a little quieter and have some compassion for those that are around him. His response was "Its freedom of speech and I will do and say what I want"...my reply "think about the reason you have that freedom of speech and show some respect."
I went home with a heavy heart wondering if maybe, just maybe what I am about to embark on will even matter to the next generation; if all that we are doing is worth it. but with a heavy heart I went in to work today, only to find that a cenotaph was vandalized on the 10th of November. I am not going to lie, I cried when I saw the picture, and then immediately felt disgusted by my generation, by the lack of respect that people in this country show. I know that it is not everyone who feels this way, I know that many people are grateful for our veterans and our serving members.... but over the last few days I have been hard pressed to find anyone, who is not currently entrenched in this lifestyle (by knowing someone who is, has or will be serving) who is grateful for their freedoms.
For the first time in a long time, I thought that maybe just maybe Canada needs to have a conflict fought on our soil… because it might open the eyes of the very spoiled generation we have living in our midst. Not that I really want to live in a country torn by war, to live in a country where my freedoms and my life can be taken away just by walking out my front door; but I am more than a little concerned that members of our community and our country who feel that they have a God-given right to say what they want, and don't take into account that the very things that they are bashing are the things that gave them that right in the first place.
All in all, the last few days made me question why I was willing and wanting to put my life on the line to protect these people; as selfish as it sounds, one of the thoughts that ran through my head, was 'why should I risk my life for you; when you don't respect what you have.' But then I looked around at the people who did care, who do appreciate what they have and the reason they have some of it... and I thought, 'I won't put my life on the line for Joe Schmuck and his right to free speech because he was born... I will put my life on the line for these people, and for my kids (God willing) and my family and friends. I will do it because I want to, Because I want my nieces and nephews and my children and my friends and family to have freedom... where they are not forced to fight.'
On a side note, I am not joining the military because I have to, I am not joining it for some Free schooling and a pension; although those are added benefits; I'm not joining because I have no other options... I am joining because I want to. I am joining because I want to go to a career every day that I am proud of and that I love, and one where I am constantly learning. I'd still do it if I won the lottery tomorrow. Its not about having to do it; its about wanting to.
Thank you to all that have served either as a member in the military or as support behind those you love; your sacrifices will not be forgotten.
- Stiletto
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awww hun. i ended up watching the memorial in Ottawa as Ben couldnt make it back. sitting there in pjs, i cried watching the ceremony.
ReplyDeletelogging on to facebook i loved all the statuses supporting the day... then one popped up... one that got under my skin...
one that mentioned that she did not celebrate remambrance day due the fact that we are only repeating the past in this Afgan war... i wanted to jump through the computer.
this day is not political nor doesnt it support war... its to recognize the sacrifice of the past that made this country what it is today.
i feel the same way about how our generation is. perhaps im traditional in most of my beliefs. what happened to respect of one another and of everything around you? People just do whatever the hell they feel like these days. Some even think that the world owes them something, when we should be grateful of the country we live in. we're lucky. it could be a million times worse. We could be living in constant fear with no government to protect us.
People need to be remind of this.