PJM Lifestyle
Armistice Day and The Forgotten Symbolism of the Poppy
On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month of 1918, the guns of Europe fell silent. We in the US know of November 11th as Veterans’ Day, a holiday to honor those who have served in our military forces.
Sadly, the day isn’t thought of much outside the military. The President lays a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. As it is not usually a day off of work, most department stores don’t even bother with announcing a sale. A news story about Obama’s plans for Veterans’ Day 2011 sums up the lack of gravitas our culture gives to the day. After quoting the news release that Obama would attend the ceremonies at Arlington and then fly to San Diego to watch a football game with the crew of the USS Carl Vinson, the report concluded:
Will you be tuning in to watch the historic event? If nothing else it will be cool to watch a game on a war machine that can literally wipe out an entire city.
I didn’t know much about Veterans’ Day until we moved to London. From the beginning of November to the 11th or the second Sunday, Remberance Sunday, people wear commemorative poppies on their lapels. The British Legion sells the pins as a fund raiser for wounded veterans. (The American Legion does as well, but on a small scale.) On both days, people observe a moment of silence at 11 am. Why two days? During WWII, the moment of silence was moved to the closest Sunday so as not to interfere with wartime production. After WWII ended, the double observance remained, perhaps as a reminder as to why the ceremony had to move.
An Anthem for the Coming Years: Battle Born
PJ Lifestyle is quiet today. We have a grim, nauseous writers block, at least for light pieces. Today we reassess, adjust. I took a walk to clear my head. I’ve been writing about The Killers, so had most of their album in my ‘recently played’ playlist. I had planned a short post at my place about the patriotic anthem, “Battle Born,” but after yesterday I find the song holds more fire than I thought. Whether you like the sound of indie rock or not, read the lyrics:
You lost faith in the human spirit
You walk around like a ghost
Your star-spangled heart
Took a train for the coastWhen you shine you’re a hilltop mansion
So how’d you lose the light?
Was it blown by the wind
In the still of the night?I always saw you as a kind of keeper
A mother to a child
But your boys have grown soft
And your girls have gone wildFrom the Blue Ridge to the Black Hills
To the Redwood sky
The season may pass
But the dream doesn’t dieNow don’t you drop the ball
Up against the wall
There’s something dying on the street
When they knock you down
You’re gonna get back on your feet
Cause you can’t stop nowWhen they break your heart
When they cause your soul to mourn
Remember what I said
Boy, you was battle bornWhen the night falls on the land
Are you haunted by the sound?
It’s gonna take more than a hand
To turn this thing aroundWon’t you lean it on me?
Rescue, set me freeUp against the wall
There’s something dying on the street
When they knock you down
You’re gonna get back on your feet
Cause you can’t stop nowDid they break your heart?
And did they cause your soul to mourn?
Remember what I said
Boy, you was battle born
Cause you can’t stop nowCome on show your face
Come on give us one more spark
Sing a song of fire
Lest we fall into the dark
Cause you can’t stop nowYou never know
If you never learn
You never shine
If you never burn
The rising tide
The undertow
The venom and
The overflow
The turn away
The welcome home
Everything and Everyone You Know is In This Picture
The Earth and Moon seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
– T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets