I observed a minute of silence at 11 a.m., as I believe that all Canadians should to remember our fallen. And, like April, I included remembrance for those who have died in the War on Terror.
There's been some debate over whether or not we should make Remembrance Day a holiday. It's already partially there, with the banks closing, and mail delivery suspended, and so on, but most stores are open, the university is open and kids go to school.
Personally, I think that this is the way it should be, especially the school part. Where else are our children going to be taught what to remember if we let them have the day off school? As for the people going to work, the act of stopping work (and stopping all transit vehicles to work -- any chance of doing that for all cars?) is a significant gesture that one is less likely to do at home.
Remembering something like this is a public affair, as well as private. We as a society pay respect to those who paid for our freedom with their lives. And the act of stopping ourselves for two minutes, as opposed to a whole day, makes this more than just another holiday.
Added November 11, 2003, 3:40 pm: this just hit me. I remember, back in 1980 when I was in grade 2, Miss Boyd used to bring her own guitar and get her students to singalong. One of the songs she played was Where Have All the Flowers Gone. Nobody batted an eye.
What would the reaction have been, I wonder, had she done this today, in the United States of America?
This update was inspired by this November 11th post by Revolutionary Moderation (note to Don: your permalinks need fixing)