Rememberance Sunday

[Centrepin]

Lest we forget.

 

Please take two minutes at 1100 to remember those who gave all.

 

Thank you.

 

[Halibut]

Those who had it stolen from them.

[Anna B]

And please remember that it is about so much more than 2 minutes silence on Rememberance Sunday. There are generations of children and young people for whom the wars are ancient history and whose ignorance is sometimes alarming. The Snowflakes in particular are in need of real level of understanding.

[ECCOnoob]

Is there any reason for the derogatory term "snowflake" being used here. 

 

Have you actually stopped to think maybe why the "children and young people" might not have such a high level of understanding of an event that happened over a century ago.   Who and how have they been taught about it.  How often.   How long.    How in depth.  What about all the other prominent historical events that have happened since which may, in their generations' education and curriculum, have more prominence.

 

Its not acceptable to just insultingly claim that they are ignorant.      It may not be such a case at all.

 

Think about other events in history.   WWII, the cold war, US and African apartheid, the rise and fall of the iron curtain, the falklands war, the gulf war, the Ireland Troubles, the terror attacks of 2001, the Iraq war.....

 

We have a fresher university generation who are post Google, even post smart phone.  They school with laptops.  They teach with tablets.   The subjects, methods and ways of educating are wholly different now. 

 

Of course the events of WWI should not be forgotten but its pretty obvious that with passage of time the prominence of history evolves and the next generations have their own significant events.  

Edited November 11, 2019 by ECCOnoob

[Anna B]

i aplogise for my clumsy use of the word 'snowflake.' I used it to refer to the latest  modern generation.  

 

I used it to  describe a generation who have no direct experience of war or of Nuclear annihilation. When we talk of 'freedom' won at great cost,  do they have a real concept of a world without it? I'm afraid it will becomes a cliche, a soundbite that has no relevance.    

 

I grew up in the aftermath of WW2, with bomb sites as playgrounds, disabled soldiers everywhere, rationing, poverty and in the shadow of the Nuclear Bomb (I well remember the Bay of Pigs and the tension) These are what coloured in the reality for me and they can't be taught.  And they were nothing compared to the actual experience of war.  It's not about facts and figres that they may or may not have been taught in school, but the real visceral truth of conflict. 

Soon there will be no one left who has had a personal experience of the Wars.  As it slips further and further into history we must find a way of making these threats, which have not gone away, stay real and relevant..  

[Lex Luthor]

9 hours ago, Halibut said:

Those who had it stolen from them.

Indeed. Our men, themselves, and the ones who loved them. And not only the fallen. Many of those that returned still had their lives stolen.

[Lex Luthor]

2 hours ago, Anna B said:

i aplogise for my clumsy use of the word 'snowflake.' I used it to refer to the latest  modern generation.  

 

I used it to  describe a generation who have no direct experience of war or of Nuclear annihilation. When we talk of 'freedom' won at great cost,  do they have a real concept of a world without it? I'm afraid it will becomes a cliche, a soundbite that has no relevance.    

 

I grew up in the aftermath of WW2, with bomb sites as playgrounds, disabled soldiers everywhere, rationing, poverty and in the shadow of the Nuclear Bomb (I well remember the Bay of Pigs and the tension) These are what coloured in the reality for me and they can't be taught.  And they were nothing compared to the actual experience of war.  It's not about facts and figres that they may or may not have been taught in school, but the real visceral truth of conflict. 

Soon there will be no one left who has had a personal experience of the Wars.  As it slips further and further into history we must find a way of making these threats, which have not gone away, stay real and relevant..  

I hope you will feel heartened by this.

 

My teenage son was fortunate to have a truly inspirational history teacher. His teacher sparked an interest in him to read extensively on British and European Military history. I can safely say he is more knowledgeable than me on the subject, even though it was a component of my degree. This year alone he has bought several special commemorative badges for rememberance and our soldiers past and present are never far from his thoughts.

 

His great Uncle was tricked in to serving in Korea, as a young man. When he came back, his innocence (as well as his hair due to shock) and peace of mind was lost forever.

 

It is our job to keep the memories of those we knew alive, so that the horrors and futility of war are never forgotten in the hope that future generations will find alternatives to wars, in the name of those who have had their lives stolen.

[Anna B]

Thankyou so much for this, and yes, I do feel heartened by it. 

[Lex Luthor]

16 minutes ago, Anna B said:

Thankyou so much for this, and yes, I do feel heartened by it. 

I'm very glad, Anna.

 

Also, with the advances in technology, and interactive resources available, teachers are able to show real footage and far more, at the touch of a button to students and children are also being set homeworks to use some of the impressive online resources available on the subject, on the BBC bitesize website and elsewhere to get a good grasp of what it was like at home and for those serving elsewhere.

 

With this, and also the study of poets in English, such as Wlfred Owen, where the futility and true horrors and costs of war are recurring themes that are explored, I am very hopeful that future generations will also 'Remember them'. 😊

Edited November 11, 2019 by Lex Luthor

[Lex Luthor]

My son was also fortunate enough to participate on a school visit to Normandy and the battlefields in France. I know this is also something that will stay with him forever, thanks to his dedicated teachers.

 

To make this cost effective they had to have a coachful of students wanting to go, and I understand that the trip has gone ahead every year since my son went, so that is also heartening.

Edited November 11, 2019 by Lex Luthor