Remembrance

November is a time for remembering those who fought for justice, peace, and freedom - to remember the dead and the living. Remembrance Day is a solemn day, meant to commemorate and think on the gravity of war and the people in them.

If everybody went far back enough into their family history, they may hear of stories of how war has affected them - either as civilians or as soldiers.

My family, for instance has experienced tragedies in time of war and conflict. My eldest uncle fought for the Kuomintang against the Communists, and was exiled to Taiwan with the rest of the KMT supporters. He's made his home there, while the majority of us emigrated elsewhere. As a result, I know very little about his family and my cousins. I've lost aunts and uncles to starvation during WWII. They were only children. The stories of brutality and suffering would make you cry, but they are worth hearing and knowing about.

Do not make light of war - some wars are wrong, yes. Other wars are worth fighting. If noone stood up against the "bad guys", if noone stood up against injustices, the world and world-life would be completely different. Civil liberties and rights would be few and far-between.