Pacificism and the Poppy

The old veteran stands, medals clinking quietly in the subway station selling poppies to mark Remembrance Day and raise money for vets less fortunate than he is. I buy one and stand attentively while it's pinned on my jacket, trying not to notice the discomfort.

I wear a poppy at this time of year to show some awareness of the sacrifice of so many in our nation's conflicts. Some of those conflicts had the patina of justice about them, many did not. Regardless, innocents became soldiers and fought, died, or were maimed or psychically scarred to the point they could never take back up the lives they might have lived. Willingly or not, they made a sacrifice, their families made a sacrifice, the posterity they might have built became a sacrifice. That should be remembered.

It is increasingly rare that those who bear real responsibility appear anywhere near the bloody fighting. So inevitably our innocents kill & wound their innocents. Innocent civilians are more and more often targets (a.k.a. 'collateral damage') in wars we fight far from home, ensuring an unconscionable asymmetry in the harm we suffer and the harm we inflict. That should be remembered also.

Some people might see my poppy and think I support war. I support an end to war. I wish I knew some way to signal that without disrespecting the service of that old veteran and his clinking medals.