I used to cry on Remembrance Day.

Not only for the men and women who lost their lives in wars to protect our freedom. But for the human condition itself, so full of animosity and violence. And hate. All justified, of course, with pretzel logic.

I’m feeling somewhat cynical these days, and doubtful. All those people who died for us in the two World Wars have died in vain if, indeed, modern civilization is on the verge of extinction and most of mankind with it.

But, hey, we haven’t had a world war in 75 years. That’s positive.

Still, so much seems irrelevant when you have a doomsday outlook. The only thing that matters now is saving modern civilization from the forces of climate change, and there’s not a lot our military personnel can do to stop it.

So, perhaps I will cry on Monday during the Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa, because we let down all those people who died for us.

But that would be irrelevant, too, wouldn’t it?

— Jillian