Remembering Remembrance Day

This Friday, is Remembrance Day and is anyone remembering the day let alone the soldiers?

As we inevitably get further away in time from when and why Remembrance Day was initiated, we also sadly but inevitably are losing the brave men and women who served our country and while we celebrate and honour our current military and peacekeepers, the tradition of Remembrance Day is tragically losing something.

Growing up, Remembrance Day was about everyone doing posters, stories or poems about what Remembrance Day meant to them. We would have school assemblies with a war veteran coming into to talk about why Remembrance Day was so important and a little bit about what those days were like.

They all meant something back then as they would do their best to speak up. I wish we had video cameras on cell phones back then. Their discussions would be forever saved. Sad they are gone.

Today, Remembrance Day for some is sadly the convenient day off in November. Schools still do Remembrance Day assemblies, but as we at the newspaper experienced this year, we found less not guest speakers at their assemblies this year. Much like the memories of speakers from my days in school, the tradition of speakers is fading.

Replacing them are various video presentations on YouTube and other social media platforms. Tradition is hard to maintain when you lose people there and at the Royal Canadian Legions across the prairies. Hard financial times, urbanization and just the passing time have all contributed to the struggles of the Legions.

In a world where Halloween is celebrated by stores at Thanksgiving, Christmas decorations are adorned at Halloween and Valentine’s Day is starting to be advertised Dec. 27, as soon as the Boxing Day madness is over, because there is little to sell except manufactured poppies, marketers look to other “holidays” to sell. Because of the commercialism, Remembrance Day doesn’t fit the mould of something to make money on for a company.

But remember, always remember, we would not have the ability to do what we do, whatever, whenever and how we want if it wasn’t for all those generations ago. You may not feel you are directly tied to these fallen heroes, but you are.

If you have a roof over your head and can practice whatever religion, lifestyle or educate yourself and your family, and able to participate in elections and vote for whoever you want, you can thank a solider and the local Legion.

Try to at least start remembering Remembrance Day and it shouldn’t to be too much of a burden to stop and be grateful and thankful for all the freedoms you have, no matter your socioeconomic status. And if you can, get out to a Remembrance Day service. You’ll be glad you did.