In the sound of silence

English follows

11月11日はRemembrance Dayリメンバランス・デー。第一次世界大戦で国を守って亡くなった人たちに感謝と祈りを捧げる日。

前に住んでいたセントラル・ロンドンの住人は様々なバックグラウンドであったので、そこまで街を挙げてという印象ではなかった。が、先祖代々の英国人が多いテディントンでは、この時期、街のあちこちにシンボルの赤いポピーが飾られているのが目立った。スーパーの前や雑貨屋のレジでポピーの小物を買って、服や車に飾り付けている人も多い。

子供たちの小学校でも、ポピーの小物を売って募金を募っていた。娘は、友達とおそろいのキーホルダーを欲しがり、お小遣いで£1の寄付をした。

11時には学校全体で数分間の黙祷を捧げたらしい。そういえば私は去年たまたまその日その時間にパブにいて、黙祷に参加したのだった。

娘いわく、クラスメイトのなかに「曽祖父が日本で贈られた日本刀が今も家に飾ってある」と話してくれた子がいたらしい。第一次世界大戦では日本は連合国側で英国と一緒だったので、軍部の交流でそういう事もあったのだろうか？

今日も世界の何処かで響き渡る戦争を、私たちは止めることができないでいる。せめて耳を塞がずにいようと思うが、皆で同時に行う黙祷は、平和のために自分に何ができるかを考えるきっかけにもなる。

私は、祖国日本と、今住まわせてもらっている英国が、今日も平和である奇跡に深謝する。世界に平和を願う。すべての死者に祈る。

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November 11th was Remembrance Day in the UK. It's a day to pray for those who lost their lives defending their country in World War I.

While I lived in central London, which has a diverse population, the Remembrance Day didn't seem to be as widely observed. But in Teddington, with its predominantly British community, the red poppy was everywhere you looked around this time of year. It was common to see people wearing poppy pins or displaying poppy-themed decorations on their cars, which they'd bought from local shops.

My children's primary school also did the fund raising with the poppy-related items. Wanting the same pretty keychain as her friend, my daughter donated £1 from her allowance.

According to her, there was a moment of silence for a few minutes at 11 AM in her class. I remember that I was in twelve months ago. I was moved to join in the moment of silence at the pub last year, feeling a deep connection with those around me.

My daughter said that one of her classmates said her family has a Japanese Sword that her great-grandfather had brought back from Japan. The exact circumstances are unclear to me, but were there any exchanges between the militaries of both countries back then since Japan was an Allied power alongside Britain during World War I…?

The echoes of war still resonate somewhere in the world today. Though we may feel powerless to stop them, let us keep our minds and ears open to the sound of silence.

A collective moment of silence can ignite a spark within us, prompting us to ponder our role in creating a more peaceful world.

I am grateful for today's peace in my homeland, Japan, and the United Kingdom, where I live now. With all my heart, I pray for the global peace. I pray for those lost in countless conflicts.