Before Congress changed it for political reasons, ‘Veterans Day’ was ‘Remembrance Day’. It still is in parts of the world that took part in what was then deemed ‘The war to end all wars’. The ‘Great War’ or ‘World War I’ as it’s now known, ended in armistice (an agreement to cease fire) leading the day to be referred to elsewhere as ‘Armistice Day’.
It is unfortunate that armistice does not end more wars. Israel and those neighbouring nations, who continue a conflict that predates the Bible, would certainly benefit from one. If only war were not so profitable.
Christianity didn’t even exist when this battle began. Rome battled Egypt, and other nations for control of the ancient world then. Christianity and Judaism were born of an effort to rob leaders of the god-like status then assumed responsible. If there could only be one god, and that god spoke to only religious leaders, then it was assumed war could be avoided.
The majority of us are not descendants of any of these people. They lived in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Most of our ancestors lived here and/or in Europe. They were conquered by those who adopted Christianity and Rome’s proclivity for empire building. It’s doubtful we’d have become involved in the Middle East were this not the case.
Were we to channel the spirit responsible for the birth of the Abrahamic faiths we would call for a ceasefire, despite all reason not to. We might not because we learned of those faiths second hand, through Rome’s effort to conquer Europe and Europe’s effort to conquer the Americas.
We were born of war, but that was not of our choosing. The few demand it. The majority obey. If the majority instead demanded peace, and this is the idea behind Christianity and Judaism, then the demands of the few would fall on deaf ears. Both intended to rob leaders of the ability to make war.
Veterans Day is about things like this. That’s why it was originally called Remembrance Day here as well. We are meant to remember the lives needlessly lost to war and how we might prevent further loss in the future.
Jamie Beaulieu
Farmington, Maine
Opinion pieces reflect the views of the individual author, and do not reflect the views of the Daily Bulldog, Mt. Blue TV, or Central Maine Media Alliance. Publication of an opinion piece does not equate to endorsement of the content of the piece.
