This year I bought a poppy. That's nothing unusual, surely. But this year I actually felt I should buy one, rather than being coerced into it by the poppy seller. It seemed to be the right thing to do, possibly to salve my conscience at the thought of all the men and women so needlessly killed and injured in recent years at the bidding of our elected leaders.
Unfortunately there is not much that I can do to undo what has happened, but I can perhaps make myself feel a little better about it.
If all the billions spent on recent wars had been spent on improving the lot of some of our own underprivileged citizens, then maybe some of them would think a little more kindly of us and perhaps not want to blow us all up. Sadly too many human beings seem programmed to fight; I just wish that it was not so.
