THE RIGHT of World War soldiers to be remembered far outweighs the public’s right to forget them, says Canon Noel Titus.
At a Remembrance Day service at St Mary’s Anglican Church in the City yesterday morning, Titus said it was up to those who still remembered those war years to ensure the coming generations did not forget the men who fought and died, and impressed upon THE?NATION its role in ensuring this was done.
“Their sacrifice has preserved the right for us to choose, speak and even forget,” the canon added.
“It is a duty incumbent on all of us who remember to teach the younger generation why we remember.”
Titus, giving the sermon at a service that also celebrated the 37th anniversary of the Nation Publishing Co. Limited asked the congregation that included scores of NATION staff:
“What precisely do we remember?”
Titus said people tended to forget what did not impact them, which was why how people were taught was more important than what they were taught.
“The youth of today would not remember those times, which is a forceful reminder that people do not remember what does not impact their lives, but what forms their lives.
“Not only is much forgotten after they pass their examinations, but what they do remember often has so little impact on them; it does not influence their lives . . . ,” he said.
The canon said it was the duty “of all of us to help them understand not only principles, but the primacy those principles take in our lives”.
Speaking particularly to the NATION and the media in general he said: “I must impress on you your duty to inform and educate,
so those who come after never miss the messages they ought to have. Then they would have something to remember; then it is they right remember,” he said.
NATION directors and staff at the service conducted by priest-in-charge Father Von Watson included Chairman and Editor Emeritus Harold Hoyte, Publisher and CEO Vivian-Anne Gittens, Editor-In-Chief Kaymar Jordan, board members Grenville Phillips and Gordon Brookes, and Group Financial Controller Noel Wood.