Remembrance

How does a person go about remembering something he/she has not experienced? How can anyone identify with an event he/she was not part of? It requires ingenuity and reflection.

I was born just before WW2 began. At our place in Northern Ontario the effects of that war were remote. I have only one memory associated with WW2. I remember drawing airplane fights in the sky and pretending to shoot them down. It seemed exciting, but I had no concept of the ugliness of that battle. With siblings I probably transferred that to imaginary gun battles using wooden sticks, totally unaware of the implications.

Shortly after the war was over our family moved to the Fraser Valley in B.C. Over the years; economic growth, technological advantages, increased opportunities to pursue fulfilling careers and many other benefits of life in a peaceful society made thinking of sacrifices in war a remote consideration. You don’t feel the pain if you haven’t been hurt. The memories aren’t there.

But that is a problem. I benefitted because others sacrificed. Therefore I had better remember.

Henry Wiebe