How Should Creative Types Celebrate Veteran's Day?

Pre-dawn of another Veteran's Day, cloudy, windy, and with a threat of rain. Before today was Veteran's Day, it was Armistice Day, the day that celebrated the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. In some ways, it's not a hard holiday to celebrate. Any event that restores peace in our time is worth some sober meditation.


However, those of us who know our history may be chastened by the knowledge of what was to come. The end of World War I planted the seeds that would blossom into World War II. World War I brought carnage on a level never before seen--but World War II would be even worse.

Why is it so hard for humans to remain at peace? There are whole series of books that address this question, so I won't attempt it here. Still, today is a good day to offer extra prayers for sustained peace in our time. World War I and all the other wars of the 20th century offer us vivid examples of the horrible consequences of the lack of peace.

Those of us lucky enough to live in a land that's not currently wracked by war might think about our luck.  We might strengthen our resolve to quit wasting time and to start/continue/finish the work we were put on this earth to do.  History shows us that we can't always or even often count on peace.  The world plunges into war for the flimsiest of reasons:  an archduke is assassinated, and the world goes up in flames.

So if we have stability now, let us seize the day.  Let us not waste time on Facebook, bad movies, wretched television, or any of the other countless ways we've devised to waste our freedom.  Generations of humans have laid down their lives to secure us this precious liberty; let's resolve that their blood hasn't been shed just so that we can fritter day after day away.

If we haven't always done a good job of shepherding our talents, let's declare today to be Armistice Day.  Let's forgive ourselves for every opportunity we haven't followed.  Let's see if any of those doors are still open to us.  And if not, let's rest easy in the assurance that there will be new doors if only we stay alert for them.

For those of us who are activists, we might think about how to use our talents to create a world where we practice war no more.  Or maybe we want to raise funds for those who are damaged by war.  On a day like Veteran's Day, it seems appropriate.  We can be the voices for those who have been cruelly silenced.

For those of us who teach, we might want to think about how artists and writers might speak to current generations, many of whom do not know any veterans.  On Veteran's Day, which began as Armistice Day, you might bring the work of Wilfred Owen into your classrooms.  You can find some poems at this site; I particularly like "Anthem for Doomed Youth."   Pair this poem with some artistic works,  perhaps the works of Picasso that look at war, a work like "Guenica" (here's a site with the image).  For this generation of instant access to facts and information, it would be worth discussing whether or not creative explorations enrich our understanding of war and its aftermath.  Is photography and documentary film more worthwhile?  Another kind of art?

For those of us who are spiritual, we could spend time today staying mindful of the older holiday of Armistice Day, and the modern incarnation of Veteran's Day.  We can remember to give thanks for the sacrifices of so many who have made my domestic peace possible.  We can pray for the government leaders of all our countries, in the hopes that they'll continue to avert catastrophes of all sorts, from the economic to the armed conflict to the planet destroying variety.