Canadians know the steps to take. A poppy on the lapel, a donation for the Legion. On November 11, silence at eleven in the morning. A visit to the cenotaph to see the wreath-laying if we can.

These acts of remembrance are important ones and tomorrow marks an absolutely necessary occasion for all of us to take time, however brief, from our daily routine in order to honour the sacrifice made by the men and women of the Canadian military throughout our nation’s history.

For an increasing percentage of us, however, our personal connections to the events that we pause to reflect on are growing faint as our new century moves forward. Our bowed heads and mumbled Amens or O Canada’s are representative of an admirable inclination to maintain tradition, but it is hard to deny that what we do every year at this time is becoming passive and routine.

Those among us with close friends or relations still active in the military consequently pause  on Friday with a heightened sense of importance, but there are few in this situation. With only 62,300 full time soldiers (and an estimated 45,000 reserves) from a nation of 31 million, involvement in the Canadian military is now an almost exceptional circumstance.

From 1914 to 1918, more than 600,000 men and women served in the Canadian Forces from a population pool of only eight million. Canada had grown to an estimated 11 million by the time of the Second World War, and more than one and a half million Canadians served during that conflict.

The Canadian military is unlikely to ever reach these numbers again and in the absence of another world war, that is understandable. It is false, however, to believe that this absence of grand conflict indicates that there is little worth fighting for. 

Generations of Canadians took up arms and supported the war effort in order to preserve the rights and freedoms that we enjoy today. It is thanks to these brave men and women that we are able to live a comfortable life in a democratic society. Some might think that our nation is in crisis, that our government is corrupt or wonder why more is not done to protect the environment. Tomorrow, those who call for reform and change can pause in their pursuit to be thankful for the fact that they are able to express these opinions and act on their beliefs.

All over the world, others are nowhere near as fortunate. Poverty, disease and degradation turn life into an ordeal to be survived in some places, while in other areas terror and tyrrany prevail, holding ordinary people hostage through the coercive threat of violence and the restrictions of dogma. 

Thanks to our fortune in birth and life, we have the opportunity to assist our fellow humans in the struggle for a better situation. There are many inspirational examples right before our eyes of people who have dedicated time, effort and money to help others both locally and in foreign countries.

The Fitzhugh reports on some of these examples in this week’s issue. Jasper municipal employees who are traveling to Tanzania to assist local government build capacity. JES students and teachers raising money for poverty-stricken hurricane victims in Grenada.

 Fighting for a brighter, more equal future for humanity does not necessarily involve armed conflict, but it does require action. As we thank those among us who do serve our nation and remember the efforts of those who did, we should be inspired by those who continue their struggle. Moreover, we should join this ongoing effort, however we see fit, to ensure that a basic quality of life and fundamental freedoms are truly universal in our world.

In 2005, such an active response to the challenges placed before humanity today is perhaps the most fitting and important tribute we can give.