ANZAC IGNORANCE

The Anzac Legend is one that provides us, the people of Australia, to
come together under the name of mateship and celebrate the lives
lost for our freedoms. That there courage, bravery and mateship
inspires all generations to never lose understanding of why we have
our freedoms. Lest we forget.
This year as we celebrate 100 years of remembrance let us not get
confused behind the reasons for this war and although inspired the
birth of a new nation, it was utterly devastating and cost Australia
lives that should never have been lost. This Anzac day we should
remind ourselves that war is never the answer and that lives lost
should stand as a symbol to the monstrosities of war and how it
should be avoided at all costs.
As Australians we take pride in our ANZAC heritage and our great
progress as a small country. However, we can become blindsided by
our achievements and overthinking of our successes. Yes Australia is
a place of freedom and great cultural influences, but these freedoms
and cultures can sometimes be confined to only individual peoples.
We perceivably believe that our freedoms and successes come from
our place in the global wars, especially through our ANZAC legend.
We believe that the Anzac legend makes us stronger, luckier, with
more freedoms, culturally accepting and understanding.
However, some of these views are not correct. Whilst ANZAC is an
important legend that must be remembered so we, as Australians,
can thank those of who offered their lives, we must also not forget
the self or forced sacrifice, and bloodshed. Yes these men and
women put their lives on the line, but it was under the consent of
the British imperialism, under the false pretences that they were
protecting Britain.
We seem to link all our good fortunes to those who offered their
lives in the war. Let us not forget them, but also let us not forget
what Gallipoli really was and what those lives were really in
exchange for.
They were not in exchange for technology that can control the way
we think our attitudes or morals. They were not for the building of a
society that doesnt understand cultural equality. These lives
werent given for freedoms that can confine us. They were given for
hope of peace and the positive progression of societies and people
to change their errors and do whats right and good.
We believe that because we were part of all the global wars and on
the winning sides that we now have eternal peace. This makes us

begin to believe that we are better than our brother, and sister
countries.
This is not the idea. We are not eternally safe and we are no better
than any other country. Just because we may have more resources
readily available for the pursuit of new technology and a strong and
steady democracy and economy does not mean that we are better
than those around us.
Let us not forget about our treatment of indigenous culture and
peoples, how we treat the less fortunate and oppressed in our
society and how we bully other religions and cultures. Let us not
forget that we are not perfect. Let our wars remind us of the
imperfection of man and not use them to sugar coat our country or
ourselves.
Let us not participate in the ANZAC message for pride in ourselves,
the perfection of our country or simply because it is tradition. Let us
participate because we believe in mateship and equality.
Let us not participate for pride, but in proudness of our fellow
countrymen and women who have given their lives so fervently in
the hope for peace globally.
LEST WE FORGET