We commemorate the armistice of the Great War of 1914-1918. Some people wonder why remember those ancient times when the present presses us on all sides. But can a people forgetting its past solidly build its future?
The past teaches us first of all that peace is fragile. Carried away by ancestral hatreds, the French and Germans threw the world into war. It caused 18 million deaths. It was the immeasurable loss of a youth full of promise. The Treaty of Versailles, proud and humiliating, carried the seeds of the Second World War, even more deadly.
We are also discovering that the conquest of peace and the slow rise of European consciousness do not come from nowhere. It was forged in the crucible of shared suffering. This is evidenced by the many gestures of brotherhood between French and German soldiers. “War is a crime, we must protect our sons from it. […] The reasons which bring souls together are stronger than the reasons which make arms cross ” , thought two opposing soldiers on their bed of pain at Verdun hospital (1).
Today, it is not enough to read the names of veterans on war memorials to honor their memory. We must also safeguard their graves as they are disappearing more and more. The petition of French Souvenir reminds us: “The tomb of” Death for France “is a component in the memory of a municipality, a key to understanding the role of the Nation” (2).
… to build the Peace of tomorrow
We must show them this elementary respect, all the more so as we benefit from the legacy of peace that they bequeathed to us. They have learned the lessons of the two World Wars. They went beyond their sufferings to take the demanding path of forgiveness which opens up a future of life where violence had sown death. Honoring their courage also means continuing their efforts to ensure that peace and friendship reign between the peoples of Europe.
It means resisting the wind of divisions, misunderstandings and enmity which blows, dividing the peoples of Europe. We must go beyond rivalries and particular interests and return to the sources of our civilization: respect for the people whom the war has denied. We must learn it and pass it on to those who are born or arrive in our country. This is very little compared to the sacrifice of the soldiers of yesterday and today who died for France.
They remind us of our duty: to build peace. However, it is threatened by the spirit of revenge or of conquest of the Islamist, Russian, Turkish and Chinese dictatorships. It is also affected by the destabilizations caused by the global injustices threatening so many lives, by corruption and by greed depleting the planet’s resources. It must be preserved so that the prodigious human adventure can continue. Our responsibility is immense because our weapons can destroy life on Earth.
The peace of tomorrow requires development and cooperation between peoples. Queen Elizabeth II repeated it at Cop26: “History has shown that when nations come together for a common cause, there is always hope. By working side by side we have the capacity to solve the most insurmountable problems. “ It would be the best tribute to the soldiers of yesterday.
(1) “On the occasion of the armistice, a moving story”, Paul Hutin, Ouest-France, 10–11–1967 (2) le-souvenir-français.fr
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