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Field of Remembrance blessed by a priest
TOPIC: Field of Remembrance blessed by a priest
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Re:Field of Remembrance blessed by a priest 14 Years, 8 Months ago
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I venture to suggest, JK, that you sometimes don't give due credit to how different views were about national identity and international relationships 100 years ago.
WW1 soldiers were quite prepared to "bash the Bosch" for King and country, having never seen or met a German, nor ever having travelled outside Britain before. So, perhaps it was easier to have a them-and-us attitude and see the enemy as unlike us and therefore not as people or as humans. Interestingly, many soldiers promptly realised that the enemy was made up of young men exactly like them, and began to wonder about the point of it all.
Nowadays, our old European enemies are only a short flight away, or available instantly on email or skype and the similarities are plainly obvious. Indeed, we might think we have more in common with the Germans than with some recently added cultures within British society.
My personal opinion is that WW1 and WW2 remembrance should always carry a note of criticism for the stupidity and futility of these wars, while recognising the men's bravery and tragedy on a personal level, even though it was not in a worthwhile cause.
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Last Edit: 2010/11/09 15:20 By .
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