The Importance of Wearing a Poppy During the Month of November
November used to be known as “Movember” or “Poppy Month”, but now with the rise of memes, it’s just known as “No Nut November”.
Every year, I see less and less of these red flowers in the crowds of people I pass, and I find it disheartening to be a part of a generation where apathy is so rampant. I’m sure some people would like to wear poppies, but just don’t know where to find them, as they are becoming more and more scarce.
The reason for this scarcity is that WWI is seemingly so far in the past, people seem to have forgotten the importance of this tradition.
However, for me, wearing a poppy isn’t only to remember fallen soldiers from WWI, but to remember and honour soldiers from every war who have died fighting for their country.
As The Royal Canadian Legion puts it on their website, “[…] Remembrance Day is the Day the Legion and a grateful nation remembers all of Canada’s fallen in ALL Wars because the fallen or injured of yesteryear are just as relevant and significant as the losses of today”.
So while some people would wear a poppy if they were easier to find, many still would not, for they are fundamentally opposed to the idea. Some go as far as to say it “glorifies war”, which is preposterous because we don’t wear the poppy to honour the war, but to honour the individuals who have fought for our freedom.
Sure, WWI was a long time ago and we may feel disconnected by the outcome of it, but had those who fought in this war chosen not to, and had the Central Powers (Germany, Turkey and Austria-Hungary) won instead, we would be living very different lives… assuming our ancestors even survived.
Written by: Sophie Dufresne
