Dulce et decorum est
"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"
Words from a Wilfred Owen poem (http://www.1914-18.co.uk/owen/) read in an English class many, many years ago that started me on my inner journey to explore pacifism and non-violent action.
Warfare has changed dramatically since his time, with smart bombs and long range weapons - soldiers no longer have to see the whites of their enemies' eyes. However, the move of some of our troops (including those from the Black Watch Regiments and others) to areas of more conflict in Iraq, and possibly a change in role from that of peace-keeping to combat (lets hope not), has worried me immensely and called to mind those words.
We still send lads who should holding books in college not guns in muddy fields except, unlike in Wilson Owen's time, we send lasses now too. There is still no clear line between "us" and "them". I'm not talking about dictators or government regimes. I'm talking about the soldiers, militia, resistance fighters, men, women and children. The "enemy" in Iraq have mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, children and friends ... the same as our armed forces do.
I must say that respect our guys for doing a difficult and challenging job and, for the most part, doing it with dignity and respect for all.
And as we approach another remembrance day which, to my mind, is used as a glorification for past victories and justification for present and future blood-shed, his words should be read by everyone.
As ever, I shall not be wearing my red poppy, although I must stress that I know I owe my freedom to many men and women that fought for that freedom but I choose to honour them in my own way.
I shall be wearing a White Poppy instead.
If you want to learn more - take a look at the Peace Pledge Union's website (http://www.ppu.org.uk/indexa.html). They sell White Poppies which remember ALL those who have died in every war (and there have been a hell of a lot of them, even just in this century) both military and civilian, "us" and "them".
I'll let Wilfred Owen have the last words as he is far more eloquent than me ...
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud,
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest,
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old lie: Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Translation: It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country.
posted by Rhea at 10/28/2004 06:38:00 pm
4 Comments:
That's a really beautiful post. I find white poppies hard to track down - so thanks for the link. In this case, recycling doesn't seem to be quite the right option.
Thanks Birdie. It was just going to be a brief post but I think I got on my soap box.
I was reading on the Peace Pledge Union's site about the two minutes silence on remembrance day. The gist was, "what use is silence now? we need to make our voices heard" so I'm whispering into cyber space and glad that someone is listening. :o)
Great post, Rhea, and thanks for the link - I've been wondering where to get those white poppies for years!
Thank you, Zinnia.
I can well believe that, Anan. I guess that's why Wilfred Owen's poems have so much of an impact as he wrote from personal experience.
Nationalism is a difficult one.
I am proud to be British in the sense of our fanastic history (some of it not great, some of it not good, but all of it fascinating); our amazing achievements (again some involving morally questionable motives) and our ability to adapt both in language, culture, custom, etc.
But I am not necessarily proud of Britain as it is today.
Whilst I am poud of our national heritage, ... is it worth dying for?
That is a question I hope I'm never forced to answer.
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