Lest we forget

Yes, Society today seem immune to suffering,be it the homeless, racist attacks, toddlers locked in cages,dead babies on beaches...the list goes on. People seem to think it is ok to say "Nothing to do with us" "They shouldn't have left their country" "Charity begins at home". This is not the world I grew up in,these are not my morals. 

If we lay down and allow these ideas,then we become complicit,complicit in the same way as many were forced into compliance in the last century,there is no difference. As developed countries,we are supposed to lead the way,to show humanity that violence,racism,fascism and corruption are not the way forward,that there is an alternative,we are failing,we are falling back to believing we are somehow superior,that our lives are worth more than the lives of those less fortunate.
The Geneva Convention in the World Wars was only applied to 'civilised'' countries, Britain wrote in a get out clause that said and this is almost verbatim "When fighting the 'uncivilised' there are no rules, the actions of the 'civilised' side will be according to necessity"
That feeling of superiority,in the first instance of your town,your football team,your county,your country,your race, persists today,in almost every country in the world but now again in Europe and the U.S.A. I see it in developing countries,it continues to devastate large swathes of the planet tribally.
In 1899 the European powers had a Peace conference where it was decided that the peace conference itself was useless as Europe was now too powerful and civilised to ever again embark on war,with the advancement of technology they believed that they were too intelligent for war.  Until 1914 the major powers of the world had enjoyed a long period of peace,and any significant war seemed beyond anyone's belief. 9 million soldiers(This war was still largely fought on the battlefield,so they were  soldiers) died in the 4 years that followed.
A mere 21 years later at least 50 million people died,soldiers and civilians.
We ignore the past at our peril,we ignore the past then we repeat it.

 The photos below are of my Great Great Uncle who gave his life 100 years ago this month to defend his country. My children's Great Great Great Uncle. Generally those that died were 'uncles' (They weren't at the time) as they never had children,they didn't get the chance,they gave their lives so your Grandaddy's granddad could have kids.