I am not….

As we rapidly approach 11/11 - Remembrance Day, I have been filled with pride and passion in seeing the veterans, cadets, serving soldiers and volunteers giving their time to participate in raising funds for this year’s Poppy appeal.

Remembrance day and the Poppy Appeal, is where we remember, pay our respects and reflect on those brave individuals who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country and the commonwealth, and those who are currently serving for our forces in present day.

The date is significant as it marks the end of the fighting in the First World War, which ended on the 11^th hour, of the 11^th day, of the 11^th month of the year 1918. 

On the closest Sunday to November 11^th, as Brits we are familiar with the Queen, the other members of the Royal family, politicians, religious leaders and dignitaries from around the globe coming together to remember & participate in the laying of wreaths, observing the 'Last Post' and taking part the two minutes silence.

But always more moving for me, was seeing the veterans of the World Wars marching in their thousands past the cenotaph and saluting the tomb of the unknown soldier. It was something I watched every year, and continue to be totally in awe of these men and women, of the greatest generation, who were prepared to give their today’s, so that we could have our tomorrows.

As the years rolled on, the men of WW1 died out, and now we see smaller numbers of WW2 survivors marching. Alongside the WW2 survivors, we see younger veterans and serving soldiers, which is a stark reminder that men are dying today fighting for our country.

I had observed in recent years, that in my opinion, the number of poppies visible on my fellow commuters had dwindled. This may have been a misconception on my behalf, and not reflect the actual trends within the country, but on my commute, I was disappointed that so many were either too busy to buy a poppy, or too ignorant to what that time of the year represents.

However it seems that people are again taking the time to donate, to buy a poppy, to wear that poppy with pride, and remember and honour those brave men and women who have passed before us.

I think part of this is due to the ceramic poppy installation at The Tower of London in 2014, which raised huge sums for various charities, and helped bring the meaning of the Poppy appeal back to the forefront of our minds at this time of year.

The installation at the iconic London landmark was hugely poignant and significant, as it marked 100 years since the first full day of our involvement in WW1. Each poppy was carefully planted to honour each individual of the over eight hundred and eighty thousand fatalities in that world war. It became a place to see, a new attraction in London, and a place to reflect on what those men and their families went through all those years ago. It certainly seems to had a huge effect in the following years.

However, over the recent years, there seems to have been an inevitable backlash and furore about the Poppy in some way.

 In 2013, a television newsreader decided to go against trend of most other people on television, and not wear a poppy, which caused a storm of controversy and heated discussion. 
In 2015, it was the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, wearing a white poppy, to represent his pacifism. 

This year, it  is the global football organisation FIFA, stating that the kits worn by the England and Scotland national football teams in the upcoming match, scheduled for Nov 11^th, must not have the poppy on display. This caused outrage, and was discussed in Parliament, with the Football Association’s for both nations deciding to go against FIFAs ruling, and to wear a commemorative black armband with the poppy emblem visible as a mark of respect.

Last year, when the alarm rang in my previous job, to mark the start of the two minutes silence, I was enraged with anger at those around me. Two minutes of your time, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. To stop what you are doing, keep quiet, reflect, and show your respect. It shouldn't too much to ask? In my opinion that is the least we should be doing. That day made me so disappointed in other people. I would say only about 1 in 5 people on my commute wore a poppy. And in my office, when the PA system announced the start of the silence, so many people kept on working, typing away on the keyboard. It was just two measly minutes of the day to remember all of those people who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and people couldn't stop what they were doing. It pissed me off.

I have grown up respecting and wearing my poppy with pride. I will teach that trait to my son, I will teach him about the strength and courage, felt by those under circumstances we can only imagine. I hope that he will share my views on remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to allow us to live the way that we do today. 

Recently, there have been arguments that true meaning of the poppy has been forgotten. That instead of remembering The First and Second World Wars, we are honouring those killed in combats which have not been universally popular, which have been opposed to by thousands of people, and for modern conflicts which we as a nation have taken upon ourselves to get involved in. But for me the political arguments need to be put aside. Whether we should be fighting these wars is a completely different topic for me. What the poppy symbolises is an opportunity to simply say "thank you" to the brave people who do not pick where they are sent to fight, they are simply doing what they are paid (not enough by the way) to do, in service of their country.

On social media I saw a poem regarding the poppy that I hadn’t seen before, and it sums up exactly how I feel. Apparently it was written in a space of a few minutes, by man whilst his wife watched The X Factor. I couldn't find the author's name, but my respect goes out to you Sir. It appeals to me as it sums up what it means to me. The poppy isn't to glorify war or to segregate races, it is a way to acknowledge the sacrifice, to ensure that we are not allowed to forget the lessons learned, or let those memories to fade.

I am not a badge of honour,

I am not a racist smear,

I am not a fashion statement,

To be worn but once a year,

I am not glorification

Of conflict or of war.

I am not a paper ornament

A token,

I am more.

I am a loving memory,

Of a father or a son,

A permanent reminder

Of each and every one.

I'm paper or enamel

I'm old or shining new,

I'm a way of saying thank you,

To every one of you.

I am a simple poppy

A Reminder to you all,

That courage faith and honour,

Will stand where heroes fall.

What the great generations gave us is nothing short of amazing. I cannot begin to fathom what the soldiers and every day people went through during the war years. 

I for one will always wear the poppy with pride, and I can't understand those who want to live in this country and not back the Poppy appeal. Desecration of wreaths and poppies by extremists should not be tolerated, and I hope that the due respect is paid this year.

Of course not everyone wants to wear a poppy, for whatever reason. Some say that the Poppy is no longer doing what it was designed to do, and is being used for political statements. I even saw an article today, which made my blood boil, claiming the Poppy is now a symbol of racism. 

Everyone nowadays has a choice, and with social media they have a place to voice that opinion. Just as I am doing with my blog.   But having that choice is something our generation fully take for granted. Many many men from the two world wars did not have a choice. And that is a huge part of what we are remembering leading up to and an on November 11th. In my opinion, an individual's choice to NOT wear a poppy, is a far bigger political statement by that individual, compared to the people who will be wearing a poppy at this time of year.

Over 100 years may have passed since the commencement of the First World War, and our troops are in various places at harms risk at present. Thank you for the thankless task that you are undertaking. I will wear my poppy to pay respects for any sacrifice from any conflict.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/

Summer, summer, summertime…. Time to sit back and unwind…

Today, London is expected to hit 33’ C. That’s around 91’ for our friends across the world using Fahrenheit instead of Celsius, making today the hottest day of 2016 so far in the UK. 

As Brits, we wait all year for our few days of summer. We can’t wait to light up the barbecue, pour a jug of Pimms, press play on the iPod to Summertime by Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, and listen to the Fresh Prince's new definition of summer madness… 

Social media will be flooded with either those complaining that it’s too hot, or the majority showing us how they are enjoying the sun, those able to get outside and make the most of it.

People of the UK will today fill any little bit of green area near their offices to bask in the sunshine on their lunch hour. No doubt many will have taken the day off to head to parks and the seaside to make the most of the heatwave we are experiencing. Pasty legs will be on show, blokes will have their tops off, kids will have their paddling pools out in many gardens, open air swimming pools will be full, ice cream men will be loving the extra business caused by people’s desire to cool down. Barbecues will be producing many burnt burgers up and down the country. But the one thing you can put money on, is that nationwide, there will be scores upon scores of people who be tanning today who will no doubt suffer from sunburn.

Although I didn’t usually burn, I was always one of those people tanning. I worshipped the sun. I loved to be tanned. I felt better in myself, had more self-confidence and felt happier with my appearance when I had a sunkissed look. In early adulthood I would sunbathe at any opportunity, often using oil instead of any sun lotion with protection. I even used tanning beds to top my tan up. I would certainly say that I was addicted to tanning at that age. As the years rolled by, I still enjoyed the feeling the heat and rays of the sun hit my skin, but I was not as militant about it. I spent two years living in the Middle East, where the strength of the sun was so much higher than I was used to in London, but I would still tan regularly, and would still only use low factor sun protection; never higher than a factor15.

Earlier this year, I had A Wakeup Call, a mole that I had been concerned about had to be excised, and I had a week long wait to find out if it was Melanoma. I was lucky. And I have sworn to live my life having learnt my lesson. That’s not to say I will not sunbathe from here on. I will. I am a summer baby, and summer is when I am happiest. But I will do it sensibly. 

Unfortunately today, people will suffer from sunburn, highly increasing their chance of being susceptible to skin related issues such as Melanoma. The sad fact is that today, six people will lose their battle with Skin cancer. Think of that daily figure, over the course of  the summer, that is a lot of loved ones who will be without someone special.

There is simple advice for surviving the heatwave, and to be honest it is common sense: High factor sun lotion, shade, lots of water, cover up, avoiding long instances of exposure to the sun, and making sure the little ones are kept cool. When you are certain age, you can manage the way you get through the heatwave. Young babies, children and the elderly are the ones who are really going to struggle. 

On another note - cars will be even hotter, so to leave a dog or child in a car should be a criminal offence. Do not take the risk. Not even for two minutes.

If you do manage to avoid the office, and actually get to spend some time in the sun, please be sensible. It could really make a difference to the rest of your life.  But enjoy the sun, enjoy each other. Get the  BBQ on, get the summer time feel good songs on, and make a memory! For me personally, many of my fondest memories over the years have been formed in the summertime. I am sure I am not the only one.

Fear Vs Freedom...

Today started like any other day. I got ready for work in a daze, told them I loved them and then kissed my girlfriend and baby boy goodbye; took the bus to the train station, and stood packed in the train carriage for my 35minute commute into central London. I then walked to the tube station, and waited for my tube to take me to the office.

The tube was busier than usual. Standing room only for my entire journey. People from all over the world, of all shapes and sizes, genders and ages. No hierarchy. Just people on the way to work.
 People keep themselves to themselves on the tube. No eye contact. No communication. It’s rare for people to even acknowledge one another. All consumed by our iPods, smart phones, tablets, newspapers and magazine.

However today, my senses were heightened once again, due to the breaking news coming out of Brussels, which I was alerted to via social media.

I looked around me at my fellow commuters, and there seemed to be more people looking up from their smarts phones, and looking around today. I caught eye contact with more people than normal. People like me must have been alerted by the news, and started scanning the tube to check out the people around them. We acknowledged each other, with the understanding of why we were looking around.

Brussels Attack

Since the 7/7 attacks, our sense of vigilance as Londoners is always quite high, we have suffered before and unfortunately it does seem that it is only a matter of time before we suffer again. The breaking news from Brussels, shows how our security is always at risk. An explosion at a metro station, as well as in a public area of an airport, shows that our safety in the western world is always under threat.

As people, we need to be ready and prepared for anything which may potentially happen. Of course, as members of the public, we do not have the Hollywood movie capabilities to bring down the terrorists, but what we do have is the capabilities to help those people who are out to stop the risks. We need to be aware of people around us and should the worst happen, we need to stay as calm as possible in order to help with the evacuation and subsequent operation by emergency services.

Back in November, in Paris, the suicide bombers attacked people doing everyday things. Eating in restaurants, attending a concert, watching the football. In Brussels, it appears they have attacked commuters. It is clear that our western way of life is now the way that the terrorists will attack. We are a soft target, and there is a limit to what the security services can do. 

The Facebook Safety Check App

The clear concern, is that we have no idea how many of these terrorists are now in Europe. I fear that we are being naïve to the fact for how many people want to attack our way of life. Additionally, that the security services have no idea of how many and who these people are. They are hiding in plain sight. Security in London is always monitored, but should something happen here, how would we react?

People - probably on their way to work, have died today, because terrorists wanted to make a statement and attack the west. For those poor people, today their family and friends are frantically trying to source information. When Paris was attacked, Facebook launched their Safety Check app, which allowed people to inform their networks, that they were safe. I hope this app in place for Brussels today.

We are in an age where the 24hour rolling news channels do not help but increase the fear and anxiety amongst the public. The coverage and intimacy that these events are now covered, really aid the terrorists in spreading the fear. But as much as I agree that people need to know what was happening, but my opinion is that there should be some limitations. 

But we can’t let the fear of something which may potentially happen, stop us from having our freedom to do the things that we do on a daily basis. If we stop doing what we need to do, then the terrorists win.

People will no doubt start to post online, why are are covering this attack more than attacks in other part of the world? Why did we change our Facebook profile pics to have the French flag on them, to show solidarity with the people of Paris, when we didn’t for the attacks in Turkey or the Ivory Coast? I think this literally comes down to how close Paris and Brussels are to London. Simple as that. We can relate more to those cities. However my thoughts go out to innocent people around the world who get caught up in these atrocities. 

   

I am not political, but i cant help but think this will effect votes in the EU referendum later this summer, where Britain will decide whether to stay or leave the EU. I hate that we live in these times. I hate that my son will inherit the world with such hatred and fear.

But  we cannot let the terrorists win. Live  your life. Do not let the fear effect your freedom. 

RIP to those who have lost their lives today.