Lest We Forget—But Do We Truly Remember?

by Riya Mehta

Remembrance Day passed a few weeks ago on November 11th, and each year we take a moment to commemorate the countless men and women who sacrificed everything in the hope of securing a safer, freer future for us citizens standing on our own two feet today. The entire country goes quiet. And as I was standing there, poppy pinned to my sweater, hand on my heart, I tried to close my eyes and take in speeches that reminded me of the duty and valor to this country. But the only thoughts that were nagging my brain were ones of the gravity of conflict.

I felt an ache that went deeper than solemn respect.

There’s an utter heartbreak in knowing that, as a 21-year-old student, I’m watching the world slip closer to the brink of war and dig ourselves into a hole that we might take centuries to get out of. It’s strange to me how history feels both distant and hauntingly close.

Between Palestinians caught in an unending cycle of violence to Ukrainians having their communities splintered by war, lives are being reduced to numbers. Real, human flesh is a statistic, a numerical value.

It’s dystopian.

When I’m in the classroom I study the patterns of power and policy, of leaders’ choices and nations’ frailties. But the thing is, it’s happening out THERE. It’s no longer the political theories that concern me in this battle, it’s the reality of innocents being caught in the crossfire. We stood in solidarity after a genocide and said “never again,” yet those words echo hollowly as we stand by this time in solidarity and watch the shadow of conflict overtake our world. Because I can’t help but imagine the hopes and dreams of those soldiers as they took their final breaths. The peace that overcame them knowing their sacrifice gave us freedom.

And while so many of us wear the poppy to remember, I wonder if we truly grasp the lessons behind it or have become numb to the horrors it represents. We are living through a dark time right now, repeating injustices we thought we had left behind a long

while ago. What keeps me going is remembering this one universal law that has proven itself across the ages and centuries of the human experience. Martin Luther King said “Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.” So, if you have to choose, in a world of darkness, be a star. Do your part to illuminate a new path for us all. Treat others with gentleness, compassion and faithfulness.

The light we create as a community is far stronger than the sum of its parts. Because the thing is, the brighter we glow together, the bigger we light up the entire world.

Riya Mehta is a political science and economics student at the University of Toronto, passionate about leveraging emerging technologies to solve global challenges. As a Youth Council Member at UNIDO, she co-creates impactful youth policies and advocates for social justice. Her focus lies in building sustainable communities, advancing innovation, and creating global advocacy networks.