White Poppies

Here is Canada, it is 'traditional' to wear a red poppy for Remembrance Day, in memory of the fallen soldiers from past wars (especially WWI and WWII, but not limited to such). It is based on the poppies (Papaver rhoeas)that grew in Flanders Fields during and after World War I, which was commemorated in the poem In Flanders Fields by Lt. Col. John McCrae.

Anyway, the whole concept of Remembrance Day has been bothering me. It had become (or perhaps it always was) a memorial of veterans and fallen soldiers, but the focus is remembrance and not peace. I am a strident pacifist (with humans only) and I prefer the motto "Never Again" instead of "Lest We Forget". Remembrance Day activities and poppy sales are organized by the Royal Canadian Legion, which obviously would not have an anti-war focus.

So, anyway, I don't wear a poppy. Or at least I haven't for many years. But then... husband found out something interesting. He heard a news report about the White Poppy. The White Poppy is a contentious symbol for peace:

...in 1933 the Women's Co-operative Guild introduced the White Poppy. Their intention was to remember casualties of all wars, with the added meaning of a hope for the end of all wars; the red poppy, they felt, signified only the British military dead.

The White Poppy fits more closely with my personal beliefs - that war is unavoidable at times, but peace is the ideal situation, and efforts should be made to prevent it whenever possible.

But it is getting difficult to find White Poppies in Canada, as the Legion is trying to block their sale and businesses in my city don't want to rock the boat. Next year, I'll just order one online.