Remember those who died

This week the topic for the 2012 challenge is remember.

This morning I took a run through the Auckland domain in order to go past the Auckland Museum, which was opened in the 1929 as the Auckland Institute and War Memorial Museum. Sited on the remnant of one of Auckland's many dormant volcanoes, it commemorates not only the first World War (the original intention) but also World War II and every subsequent war in which New Zealand troops fought.

The Auckland Cenotaph is seen as a shadowy object in the foreground. Unusually, only the lights of the museum itself were on this morning, and the Cenotaph was not readily seen.

Both the museum and the cenotaph serve as reminders that young men, and increasingly young women, are periodically sacrificed by our society in the belief that it will produce peaceIt has long seemed illogical to me to think that fighting and killing will convince anyone that fighting and killing is wrong, especially when we celebrate the victories and find pride in valiant defeats.

Knowing men who did serve and often fight in World War II, they do deserve to be remembered and honoured, as I am sure do those in later wars. The men and women should be remembered, should be honoured and the shortness of their lives should be mourned. The battles should be regretted and the forces that led to their deaths should be abhorred.