Don't just remember. Ask.

As we approach November 11th, and we celebrated Remembrance Sunday this morning, I'm driven to think about all those brave men and women who gave their lives not just in the World Wars, but sadly in the wars that followed. All of them were ordinary men, most of them came from humble backgrounds. Today's service was said to have been more poignant because yet another British soldier fell in Afghanistan, bringing the death toll up to 200.

I do not own this photo. I found it on Google

And it makes me wonder if people know why exactly they all died. We are constantly reminded to "remember why they died," but do we know exactly? And why are British and American soldiers continuing to die? Soldiers are dying pointlessly, needlessly and unnecessarily in Afghanistan. What we were fighting in 1944 is not what we are fighting now. The world has changed since then and the evidence is clear. Violence solves nothing. War must always be treated as a last resort in international diplomacy, because war involves human lives. We can't treat human lives as if they are cannon fodder and disposable.

So when you put on your poppy today or stand for 2 minutes of silence on Wednesday, don't just remember. Ask yourself, why they died. And ask yourself why are they still dying.

With that being said, my heartfelt condolences go out to all the families who have lost loved ones in the war. And my thoughts and prayers go out to those who are still there.