Today, we remember the sacrifices that have been made by soldiers and citizens in past times and present, as they fought against brazen ideology, oppression, and tyranny, in order to help secure the freedoms that we enjoy today. Thanks to their unparalleled efforts, I am able to speak out without fear of repression, whether my own views are popular or not. This is an ideal of freedom which we should cherish and never let fall to the wayside.
My thoughts and feelings not only go out to the people on the “winning side”, but also go to the people on the “losing side” as well, as they suffered needlessly due to the decisions of arm-chair generals and the fanatical ideology of the government. War is a brutal process, and most of the people on both sides suffer as a result. When citizens are set against each other due to mass paranoia, and war becomes so total that entire cities must be burned to the ground to destroy the fighting will of the people, killing women and children, everyone in this world loses.
The primary basis behind such destructive acts is fanatical ideology and excessive statism, or a belief that people exist to serve the state, that the state and the people in power know what’s best for us, and that the state and political power are the ultimate ends. I sometimes wonder what the world would be like if not for the Stalins, Hitlers, Maos, Pol Pots, etc… The Germans and Japanese are such productive people; if only they had focused that productivity into cars and other goods of exchange from the beginning instead of bombs and tanks! The Chinese have a rich history and were historically the largest economy in the world. If only they didn’t spend so many years bashing their heads against the walls of communism and the Cultural Revolution, destroying much of their history and culture in the process!
Incentives matter, and horrible incentives can lead even the best of people down a very dark road, on which only misery and hardship are to be found. While the dangers never seem so great in the present (when “peace for our time” was spoken, surely nobody could imagine the horrors that were to follow), we must always be on guard against creeping ideology and statism. Let’s trade with our fellow men and women and prosper together, and stamp down those who would seek to control us and lead us into disaster and ruin. Let us remember the mistakes of the past, and remain vigilant so that more men and women won’t have to die for our mistakes and the mistakes of others.
I will remember, and I hope that you will remember with me, too.
In Flanders Fields
By: Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCraeIn Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Excellent post! It’s truly amazing that because people are hungry for power and can’t get along, the wealth that is destroyed and is never created. How many composers, brilliant physicists, astronomers have died on the battlefield before their genius was allowed to flourish?
Indeed! Even today, there is a view that WW2 ended the depression. My understanding is that what really happened is that after WW2 ended, so much wealth had been destroyed in Europe that the US was in a natural position to be the productive center of the world. Overall, though, if we count Europeans as human beings as deserving of prosperity as Americans, then the world lost an unbelievable amount of wealth due to the tragic events of those times.
Another great post Kevin. I know we have our holidays, but I wish we could better celebrate our veterans. They move holidays to Monday so people can have a 3 day weekend, but I wish there was more ‘fanfare’ around the holiday itself.
My dad was a veteran of the Korean war and he passed away in February. We called the armed services and they sent 3 soldiers to my dad’s funeral, which played a bugle and then ceremoniously folded a flag and presented it to my mother. It was one of the most touching moments of my life, and my appreciation of the military increased a thousand fold that day. (I knew the military would go to cemetaries, but I had no idea they would go to a funeral home.) Even though we do not have ‘war’ on our soil, our military is doing things for our citizens in ways we do not always see.
Where I live, we do not have any days off for Remembrance Day. I have read your comments on The Biz of Life about your dad as well, and I’m sorry to hear for your loss. I was in Korea for four months on an exchange trip; with a neighbour like NK, they know about the reality of fighting for your freedom and against oppression, and they would thank your dad and those like him that were there for them.
I’m happy to hear that you have a lot of great memories and stories that you can remember and share. My own grandfather passed away when I was born, and sometimes I wonder how things would have been different had he been around, and what stories would I have heard, that were never told?
Very unselfish of you to mention the loosing side. Let us not forget them as human beings who were conscripted and obeying orders. Despite the fact that they are always labeled as the “bad” guys, they had mothers, wives, sisters or brothers. They had a life and they too lost it…
It’s amazing how pointless the suffering over ideology can be at times, whether it’s war against others as in WWII and other wars, or war against oneselves, as happens in forced collectivism. Because men are not angels, some level of force needs to be left on standby. If only that it was not necessary for it to be used… I think that trends are such that all-out war is becoming more expensive as time goes by, and not only that, but there is less to gain from waging war. I can only hope things keep on going in that direction!
History, some say, is always written by the winners. As such, I am very pleased to see your mention of the “losers” in your post. I very much enjoyed reading your thoughts on this.
The closer we look, the less black and white things are. In fact, this type of black and white thinking can be dangerous, and I’m glad that you also see the value in looking at how the “losers” suffered. Whether it be the bombings and massive firestorms of Dresden and Hamburg among other things, the only real thing we can conclude is that pretty much everyone loses from such wanton destruction. Who was “right” or “wrong” becomes pretty much moot when entire cities are being destroyed and thousands of civilians are being killed.
Good thoughts, Kevin. War is hideously destructive. We can only pause in sad remembrance at young persons who went through its horrors. I fervently hope that our children will never have to go through the same.
Great thoughts! I also hope the same. Whenever I read about WW2 I can’t imagine that people still alive today actually went through that. It feels so distant because I never experienced it myself and I only read about it, but this happened in recent history!
Nice post Kevin! I took time to remember as well, glad to hear others did the same. Very important to do so…
Cheers,
My Own Advisor in sunny Argentina
Thanks for remembering, Financial Cents!