That is the
main thought I have had in recent days. The legacy of war is long, much of it hidden
and unknown. It is intriguing that, just after the 100 year commemoration of WW1,
the COVID19 threat should remind us of the 1918/19 worldwide flu epidemic,
which killed more people worldwide than the War (more than 50 million compared to 20 million deaths from the war). But it is usually war and
conflict that makes the headlines, and which are more popularly revisited in
books and films.
At last year’s
Anzac Day commemorations, I wondered: how long do we keep ‘remembering’ and in
what way? How long, and for what purpose? Now that the 100 year anniversary has
past, should we remember in a different way?
Well, this
year, the COVID threat has kept us honouring Anzac Day at home. It’s made
participation easier for all – and seen less cars in the street. Perhaps it’s
also reminded us of the ‘freedoms’ we take for granted, freedoms denied in many
of the world’s conflict zones, refugee camps, or states of oppression. Who knows
what next year will bring? Will COVID19 and its fallout make us think and act
differently, after being ‘united’ against this unseen non-human entity?
Often, it
takes longer to ‘recover’ from war, than the time spent waging it. Longer-term
effects may be hidden, not attributed to the war, manifest themselves years down
the track, or are further complicated by other events and crises. My father
came out to New Zealand along with many others in the mid 1950s – partly because
of the depressed conditions and unemployment in post-WW2 Netherlands.
And while we
remember on the large scale – every young death had its significant impact on a
particular family and circle of close friends. While we remember today the legacy
of war for New Zealand and Australia, let us remember also the impacts in Europe,
Turkey, Palestine – and all places where war and conflict has happened and is
happening. Let us strive for peace, dignity and freedom for all. Honour the war
dead by ending war.
Photos:
A memorial in St Josse-ten-Noode, Brussels, Belgium:
1914-1918
1939-1945
Commune (Community) of
St Josse-ten-Noode – to her inhabitants who fell on the field of honour: combatants,
resisters, prisoners and political deportees.
