It's an odd fact of Canadian life that the excitement of Halloween should be immediately followed by the solemnity of Remembrance Day.
One week, we're dressing up in costumes, carving pumpkins and handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. The next week, we're pinning poppies to our jackets and making plans to recognize the service of Canadian soldiers at ceremonies held around local cenotaphs.
Of course, the nations embroiled in the First World War didn't have Halloween frivolities in mind when they were signing the armistice that ended the bloody conflict.
They were bringing to an end the war “to end all wars ” -an idealistic notion, considering that the Second World War followed 21 years later and was followed by many wars afterward -this year marks the 70th year of that momentous conflict that swallowed the lives of more than 60 million people.
This current century is no less war-torn. Even now, the U.S. battles the forces of ISIS in Syria, shelling continues in Ukraine between separatists and government forces and an incredibly bloody tribal conflict rages on in the Sudan, leaving thousands starving.
In the face of all that chaos and strife -and the certainty that more will follow in the future -it seems almost pointless to hope for the end of war.
Still, Canada has never been scarred by war, not on the same scale as other nations. Children never fear setting off land mines during play. We are in no danger of rebel forces torching our homes, or being killed by stray artillery shells fired by government troops. We hear of shootings in the media, but these are isolated incidents; most of us need never fear the lone gunman marching into our workplace or college.
We live in comfort and security. We live knowing our leaders will not drag us into war lightly.
It is not too much to ask to give a little time during Remembrance Day to remember the sacrifices of those who fought in past and current wars -those who fell and those who were scarred emotionally and physically, by the horrors of war.