THE lights have gone out again.
Last night’s poignant vigil marked not the end of commemorations to witness the 100th anniversary of the First World War, but the beginning.
The Great War lasted four terrible years and there will be many more commemorations to come of battles fought and bravery almost beyond comprehension.
Naturally at this time there is much reflection on lessons we might learn and signs we should take heed of for today’s world.
The conflicts in the Ukraine and Gaza as well as Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq are seen by some as flash points similar to those times 100 years ago that led mankind into a world conflagration.
But those days were much different. Then nations still saw war as an extension of foreign policy on a grand scale. Today’s nations, on the whole, have no such ambitions.
That is not to say we should not be vigilant.
Those who forget history are fated to repeat it.
The lessons learned from a conflict begun so long ago should not be ignored today.
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