"Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its' helpless members." - Pearl S. Buck
"I try to understand what it is
that we have gained.
We can be who we are
We can reach for the stars
And be anything...
We can go anywhere we want
Have any friends we want...
These are here for me because of you.
What can I do to say thank you?
I'll remember you."
- Diana Ward
(Remembrance Day Child)
This week our grade 3/4 students will present a 2018 Remembrance Day Ceremony on November 9th, one of the most powerful moments of the school year for me.
As a child growing up in Nova Scotia, we held school ceremonies as well, and our family visited the local cenotaph each year for the official Remembrance Day Ceremony too - it is a significant memory for me, with a dad who was in the military. Those were formative years and instilled in me a sense of gratitude for the sacrifices and losses that ensured I had the good fortune to live in a democratic country where choice was something I could take for granted.
Flash forward many years, five children and six grandchildren later, and the subject of Remembrance Day has come up numerous times across the generations. The concept of soldiers dying to protect our freedom in Canada has lost some of it's potency, buried in the milieu of a world smothered in so many instances of violence for numerous, often unfathomable reasons that's it's hard to imagine a time when things seemed as simple as understanding soldiers died fighting to guarantee we remained a free country. It is actually because we inhabit this world full of complexities that I believe it is essential our kids need to continue to honour Remembrance Day as simply and forthrightly as possible.
While imagining a war fought with very limited technology, in hand-dug trenches, and with weaponry systems that included horses, is the stuff of imaginations today, the freedoms attained through the sacrifices of the men whose reality was exactly that, are very real to the children of today. Freedom to choose their own friends at will, pursue a career of choice, where they want to live, the music they will listen to, the books they want to read, the clothes they want to wear, to travel anywhere they can imagine, the games they want to play - these are tangible benefits of quality living that would all be in jeopardized without the sacrifices of two wars fought in Europe a century and well over 7 decades ago. Children may not be able to identify fully with the realities of those wars but they are certainly able to understand and appreciate all they have in their everyday lives.
In a world where outward expressions of hatred, violence, intolerance and injustice are becoming more and more mainstream, it is important to take a moment to remember there was a time when the world was fighting against the very social actions that are now championed in many parts of the world. Democracy appears to be changing - rather than a way to embrace acceptance of all, it seems to be now more like a vehicle for erecting boxes of correctness and exclusion; no longer does democracy imply inclusion. This means there is much room for continued fighting - hopefully not in wars, but through actions of peace and acceptance, spread by individuals who understand the value of loving, valuing and appreciating each other because all humans are different, not because we are in some artificial ways, the same.
This is why our children must never forget - in fact, their futures depend on never forgetting - why two great wars were fought, sacrifices were made and the world was changed for the better. Because the work is not complete - as long as humanity survives, there will be work to do to promote acceptance, to foster love and bring humans together in common effort, shared joy and open embrace.
Lorraine Kinsman, Principal
While imagining a war fought with very limited technology, in hand-dug trenches, and with weaponry systems that included horses, is the stuff of imaginations today, the freedoms attained through the sacrifices of the men whose reality was exactly that, are very real to the children of today. Freedom to choose their own friends at will, pursue a career of choice, where they want to live, the music they will listen to, the books they want to read, the clothes they want to wear, to travel anywhere they can imagine, the games they want to play - these are tangible benefits of quality living that would all be in jeopardized without the sacrifices of two wars fought in Europe a century and well over 7 decades ago. Children may not be able to identify fully with the realities of those wars but they are certainly able to understand and appreciate all they have in their everyday lives.
In a world where outward expressions of hatred, violence, intolerance and injustice are becoming more and more mainstream, it is important to take a moment to remember there was a time when the world was fighting against the very social actions that are now championed in many parts of the world. Democracy appears to be changing - rather than a way to embrace acceptance of all, it seems to be now more like a vehicle for erecting boxes of correctness and exclusion; no longer does democracy imply inclusion. This means there is much room for continued fighting - hopefully not in wars, but through actions of peace and acceptance, spread by individuals who understand the value of loving, valuing and appreciating each other because all humans are different, not because we are in some artificial ways, the same.
This is why our children must never forget - in fact, their futures depend on never forgetting - why two great wars were fought, sacrifices were made and the world was changed for the better. Because the work is not complete - as long as humanity survives, there will be work to do to promote acceptance, to foster love and bring humans together in common effort, shared joy and open embrace.
Lorraine Kinsman, Principal
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