What Do We Owe?
What did Canadian soldiers die for? This is the question we usually stop to ask on Remembrance day. They died for freedom, or they died fighting tyranny. These answers work and provide us with solid reasons why we should pay respects to fallen soldiers and all who have served our country. In recent days, unfortunately, some have seized the opportunity to use the death and sacrifice of fallen soldiers as an avenue to protest public health measures. Their protest implies that if fallen soldiers could speak to us today, they would shake their heads in disappointment at the safety measures that have been in place over the last year and a half.
The truth is that I don't know how fallen soldiers would respond to how life in our country has unfolded. I don't know. I'm not a soldier; I've never had to go through basic training. I've never been in battle. I have traveled overseas, but it's been for fun and exploration. I don't know what it's like to be wounded in a firefight. I am very fortunate that I have never watched a colleague or team member killed in battle. So I don't think anyone should presume to speak on behalf of fallen soldiers or try to connect present-day inconveniences to dark forces of tyranny that they battled.
I try to imagine what it might feel like to be a young Canadian soldier mortally wounded by enemy fire. I try to feel the cold, unforgiving wind chilling me to the bone as I lay gasping for my last breath in a muddy trench. I'm alone, or maybe I'm surrounded by the bodies of comrades who have already passed away. I know my time has come, and my last thoughts are probably not, "I'm so glad that uncle Frank shouldn't have to show proof of vaccination before going to an NHL game because of what I did here."
Again, I'm not a soldier, but I have a feeling that my last thoughts would be,
"I wish I was home. I don't want to be here. I want to be back home at the farm with my friends. I'm cold, and I wish I were back home on the prairies with my family." The hope of peace is gone with my last breath.
If this is what it feels like to be a soldier thousands of kilometers away from home on a battlefield, then perhaps the question we should focus on isn't "What did they die for?" Instead, the more appropriate question Is, what do I owe them? How should I live, considering the many who died? Life is precious.
From this point of view, on Remembrance Day, we should remember their deaths and commit to building a world where we don't have to send soldiers. We need to hold ourselves accountable to ensure that all veterans receive all of the support they need. Support away from home and continued sustained support when they return to Canada. But, let's also not use them or their sacrifices as justification for irresponsibility. They did sacrifice for the freedom of many, but they died hoping for peace; let's not let them down today.