Peace is fragile

Thankfully, it’s impossible for most of us to truly understand the horrors of war; only those who lived through it can really know what it’s like. But as the major conflicts continue to recede in time – this Remembrance Day marks 100 years since the First World War ended – it also becomes more difficult to imagine how such a war could even start. Or does it?

The world is a scary place and peace seems more fragile than ever, particularly south of the border.

More and more, we seem to be attached to a powder keg: a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, the U.S. president banning a CNN reporter from the White House, white nationalists rallying.

Yes, we’re talking about the U.S., but make no mistake: Canada would surely be drawn into any conflict involving our cousins.

And it’s not like Canada has been immune to tragedy.

The country has suffered under its own acts of terror, like a 2017 assault on a Quebec mosque and a lone gunman storming Parliament Hill in 2014.

They may seem like isolated events, but then again, it’s unlikely anyone knew the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 would be the flashpoint for the First World War.

That’s not to say we’re doomed. If anything, we’re in a better position than ever to spot rising tensions and act to defuse them.

It’s actually one of the most essential functions of Remembrance Day: Not only do we honour those who served and are serving to protect our way of life, we also take time to recommit ourselves to ensuring war never happens again.

On that last point alone, it’s of the utmost importance Sunday to take a moment – even if you can’t attend a proper ceremony – to reflect on what you can do to ensure no more of us ever truly understand the horrors of war.

Lest we forget. City editor Joe Fries