Artie’s War
I recall my brief stint as a bartender at a Legion in the early 1970s. I was a young, post-war kid from a privileged generation that had never experienced the horrors of war. (The veterans I knew then were older. The ones I know now are younger.)
Care
Back then, many veterans struggling with the aftermath of their service would visit the Legion to enjoy a beer, dance, game, and conversation. Occasionally, a veteran would feel compelled to recount their harrowing experiences. I remember their accounts of devastating slaughters in the First World War, brutal butcheries of the Second, and the decimations of the 1950s and 1960s. With all this, as I perceived it, the Legion served as a safe haven for open and honest conversations, for exploring new possibilities and for simply being with others. It was a place of care.
Lest We Forget
Part of that care involved the conveying of two distinct messages. The first was the familiar refrain, Lest We Forget. These words were prominently displayed on almost every artifact of vetrans' experiences. They served in the retelling of their accounts and the reasons behind them. While it is essential for us to remember, Lest We Forget was not seen as a slogan for military recruitment. Instead, they, and we, use the words to honour peoples' sacrifices and gain valuable insights.
I this sense I see our veterans as teachers who leave us with a profound responsibility, which leads to their second message.
Never Again
Never again, they implored in their second message. Unlike their first, these words were not emblazoned on any of the artifacts of their experiences. Instead they percolated to the surface of their emotions when conversations turned to the painful realities of their experiences.
Their second message can be hard to understand. “How can there be a “never again?” some would argue before pointing out the nastier nature of human kind. “Just look at those countries gripped by powerful, lustful indivduals, enabled by dark religious or nationalistic forces, and emboldened to demonize others.”
True, and I get it, but that does no disqualify their message from being an ideal, one we must actively work toward. And how do we do this? Well, to start, by not allowing physical and emotional violence to reign at the top of the problem solving chain.
Never Again speaks to the purpose of their original sacrifices and to the prospects for a healthy and happy civilization.
Regrettably, I don’t hear those words spoken often, if at all.
Are We Letting Them Down?
I continue to reflect on the experiences of our veteran men and women. I wonder what they would make of contemporary prospects for peace and freedom in the new totlitarianisms of the Putin-Trump era. How would they respond to our time’s intolerances, vulgarities, and cruelties? And most important of all? I wonder if we have let them down.
The Challenge
In light of these messages, let us embrace Never Again with the same passion as Lest We Forget. Let us honour our veterans by elevating peace to the forefront of our cultural priorities. Let us embrace being and giving values (rather than getting and taking) and dislodge physical and emotional violence from the top of our problem solving chains. And let us extend this peace to inlude our living planet.
Click the link below to listen to Artie's War. The song is dedicated to my late father, Patrick Kelly (1925-2004) who taught me the value of Never Again.
