You have to give long-time Royal Canadian Legion member Darrin Nichol credit for some of the issues he raises elsewhere in this edition regarding the importance of Remembrance Day.
It’s not just about the ceremony itself but every single Canadian who has ever put on a uniform to protect those who are often not able to protect themselves, and that includes police men and women, soldiers, sailors and airmen, firefighters and first responders of all types and traditions.
Remembrance Day ceremonies are going to look very, very different in many, if not all, communities across Canada this year because of the very insidious presence across the entire globe of Covid-19.
The global pandemic has changed the very fabric of our way of life, and introduced a “new normal” that many of us have no desire to adapt totally into. But until that triumphant roar of hallelujah echoes out from a laboratory somewhere on this planet — and it really doesn't matter where because we have already begun to crack under the pressure and are proving we are still not capable as a race of human beings of making a few self-sacrifices in order to protect those among us who are most likely to suffer the most or, indeed, lose their very lives if they come in contact or are exposed to this virus.
Too many among us, behind almost any border one could dare to mention, are unwilling to make an extreme sacrifice such as wearing a face mask when they're unable to keep physical distance among larger gatherings, or simply shopping in a local grocery store in an attempt to help protect themselves or their family members, let alone their friends and neighbours in their community.
The irony of those unwilling to part with one tiny, tiny piece of what they perceive to be their own personal freedom in order to help prevent the further spread of this virus, and help bring a halt to the ever-rising number of the dead among us — someone's grandparents, mom, dad, son, daughter, sister, brother, husband, wife, aunt, uncle or cousin — should not be lost among us during a time of the year when we recognize and honour so many who paid the ultimate price so that they could have their freedoms to begin with.
Too many among us are standing up supposedly loud and proud to tell anyone willing to listen that they're not afraid of Covid-19 one little bit.
In fact, they tell us should they somehow come in contact with Covid-19, they'll kick the virus in its you know what.
Of course, the adults among us who refuse to put our own selfish interests in front of every other human being on the planet, realize that the problem with that line of thought and behaviour is that while you just may recover from Covid-19, you may also infect someone who cannot and, figuratively cast your own self-driven death sentence upon an innocent fellow human being who, in the end, could not protect themselves adequately enough against your arrogance and pay with their life.
If a vaccine is not soon developed that really can protect people from Covid-19 once and for all, we'll never truly know how many died because of those who refused to pay such a small price.
On Nov. 11, you really can't help but wonder how the world may look today if those we gather to recognize had felt the same way about sacrifice.
Food for thought!