Canada

Do you wear a poppy on Remembrance Day? Why or why not?

Even though my birth country does not celebrate Remembrance Day, I wear a poppy on November 11. Before coming to Canada, I had no knowledge about Poppy Day. It wasn’t until I turned 16 years old that I learned about it and what it stands for. Since then, I started wearing a poppy, donating to veterans' support groups, and participating in the 1 minute of silence on November 11.

Wearing the poppy is one of the many ways that we can honour and acknowledge the ones who passed away. Displaying the red flower promotes peace, reminds us of the terrible things that happened, and warns us to not let the past repeat itself.

When we buy a poppy, we are also donating to veterans in need of help. Many people don’t realize that after surviving a war, one can go through a tough time re-adjusting into society and getting back to their normal life. War changes people. Some are not able to fully recover from their wounds, others lose parts of their body, and many must go through significant mental health rehabilitation to recover from their experiences.

This was the first year that I attended a ceremony in downtown Vancouver. While there, I was immensely proud of living in a country that housed so many heroes. Nonetheless, I was also sorrowful for the ones that gave their lives for our freedom. Moreover, I felt heartbroken thinking about the countries and people that are still at war today.

Although wars have been common throughout history, I believe that after seeing the loss that battles cause, we should work towards abolishing wars. We have so much more knowledge and technology now than in the past, that we should be able to resolve our differences in a more appropriate way. I have always supported the saying “live and learn,” because if we don’t learn from our mistakes, we will never be able to fully evolve.