Their Spirit Endures - The ANZACs and Their Tradition

Into the bowels of hell they went,
Intrepidly they trudged - their lives spent,
So we could enjoy freedom and peace,
And good life on which there's a lease.

Going into battle as young men,
Far, far away from their home den,
Freedom for them was out of reach,
Whilst they fought upon that beach.

And when they flew those missions above,
Far from thought - a peaceful dove,
They all fought such a fearsome foe,
Not much certainty could they stow.

Over the seas they travelled to do,
What civilisation must hold true,
What they did for us we can't repay,
Often their lives down they would lay.

And that leaves us with something to think,
Just how much for us they went to the brink,
Our task evermore is never to let,
Their sacrifice be barren - LEST WE FORGET.

***

What can we do, as a community of human beings on planet Earth, so many of us touched by war but ironically free, to maintain our grasp on the preciousness of civilisation?

That very question remains eternally at the forefront of the minds of veterans the world over. In Australia and New Zealand, the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) legend continues to be remembered solemnly. Our legacy of remembrance should never be forgotten. And so, against our human default to forget we go.

So many of our ancestors fought on foreign lands and never came home, and many also came home damaged from their experience. War has had a profound impact on our society and culture. And whether we believe in war or not is irrelevant.

The preservation of civilisation is the mandate. It always was and always will be.

But war is always more than a global concern; it's inherently a personal story.
Lives are affected and the ripples of damage and loss flow outward and so many through the succeeding generations must deal with the shrapnel and fallout of a thing so far beyond everyone's control.

And for the diggers and veterans throughout history, those surviving and those gone, we ought to salute them. For what they fight for and fought for, for our freedom, for civilisation, their spirit endures.

The moment we forget our rich legacy of loss - a thing we cannot ever hold in proper context - is the moment we are destined, as a people, to repeat such a catastrophe.

It bodes us well, as each year passes, to tip our hats and raise a glass...

LEST WE FORGET.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.

Steve Wickham is a Registered Safety Practitioner (BSc, FSIA, RSP[Australia]) and a qualified, unordained Christian minister (GradDipBib&Min). His blogs are at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com/ and http://inspiringbetterlife.blogspot.com/

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Famous Beards: Do People Become Known Because of Their Famous Beards?

This is a crazy world we live in today. People become famous for many reasons. Some are huge and deserve recognition. Fame garnered from an act of bravery or some esteemed position or benevolence seems like an honor well-earned. On the other hand, some reasons that people become famous seem quite silly or even petty. Could famous beards be one of them?

On the seemingly well-deserved side we have reasons like: war heroes, presidents, Nobel Peace Prize winners, etc. Then we have the more mundane but worthy people like singers, actors, authors, athletes and a whole bunch more famous for something. Then we come to things like serial killers, just plain outlaws, some guy in a YouTube video and people who invent useless things like the "Pet Rock" that make the national and even the global news.

It's clear that we people bestow fame on many people for many different reasons. The real question at hand is: Do people become known because of their famous beards. It may seem silly. But just hearing the words famous beards probably conjured up images of certain people in your mind. Well let's discuss some people who are known because of their beards.

Before we get too far we should define what a beard is. It is a collection of facial hair found on the chin, cheeks, neck and the jaw area. It generally does not include hair in the area of the upper lip. However, in a broad sense facial hair on the upper lip is considered part of a beard or beard style. Generally only adult males have or desire to have beards. Some women have been known to have excessive facial hair growth, such as the bearded lady in the circus.

So when you first hear the words "famous beards" what images come to mind? Here are some of the most common men named:

Jesus Christ has been respected and acknowledged all these years as our Savior and Redeemer. While we don't have any photographs of him, the pictures that we generally see of Him show Him with a beard. If you saw a painting of Jesus without a beard would you recognize who the artist was depicting in the painting?

Leonardo Da Vinci is another famous bearded man. He is known as a painter of some of the most famous works like the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. He was also a sculptor, inventor and architect. What would this famous Renaissance man look like without his beard?

Abraham Lincoln often donned a curtain beard with no mustache. He was one of America's great presidents. But would you recognize him without his beard? Even the statue of Honest Abe at the Lincoln Memorial shows him with his beard and stovepipe hat.

Santa Claus is also known by many other names. The legend says that this fictional character is fashioned after a real man known as St. Nicolas. In any case everyone knows that Santa Claus has a full white beard. He is probably the next well-known character next to Jesus. His beard is famous and he is famous. The two are inseparable. Mrs. Claus wouldn't even know Santa without his beard.

If these examples don't convince you, then consider Brian Wilson. He is a modern major league baseball pitcher who grew a full black beard that has really created his image. His fan's mantra is "Fear the Beard". Again we can ask what would he look like without his beard? Who would recognize him? I submit to you that he would not be Brian Wilson without his famous beard.

Many people from way back to today are known because of their beards. Some may argue that their real claim to fame is their achievements and contribution to mankind and society, and that their famous beards just make it easy for others to remember and describe them. I guess everyone needs to answer for themselves: Does the beard make the man?

Randall Webster enjoys writing on various subjects. For more information about Famous beards you can click here.

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Why Did Americans Turn Off Their Minds?

The other day, I was talking to an acquaintance and I asked a simple question; "Why did Americans turn off their minds?" and then I thought to myself, did Americans knowingly do this or were those minds turned off for them? In other words, is it a fault of the media, the political structure, their employment, the education system, or the proverbial; all of the above? Okay so, let's talk about this for a moment shall we?

The other day, I was discussing this philosophical thought with a fellow thinking, John Altmann, and I had inquired in our dialogue; "Don't you feel as if we have a dummying down in our society, and that folks are less-than capable of thinking - isn't that one of the problems that society is so easily led astray in the first place?"

You see, we were discussing philosophy, and it seems everyone should be interested in these topics, it is the foundation of human society, and yet, they don't seem to understand, or even care - how can this be? It's almost scary when you think about it. Indeed, I told John that "I am enjoying this conversation and dialogue. I also enjoyed the essay he wrote which we later dissected thoroughly.

Later, I noted that some might be offended by such an intellectual dialogue and discourse, or essay of the same vein due to their mind-numbing brainwashing; TV + school + political advertising. Still, that doesn't mean they shouldn't hear such points of contention, if nothing more than to make them think and challenge themselves and those who indoctrinate them.

I guess folks have a choice, and it's not for me to make, but it is for them to decide, either they use their minds for what they are for, or they don't and let them rot, it appears folks have made that decision by failure to consider the choice in advance, now it's too late for them. Maybe more philosophical writing in the right places could wake a few of them up? That would be excellent, if we could get Americans to think again.

There was an old television commercial for a Channel in Los Angeles which stated; "Tune into KABC because there is more to life than news, weather, and sports." Indeed, they were capturing the essence of what folks were thinking at the time, this was the early 80s, but today, no one seems to even realize that there is more to life than FaceBook, Twitter, Obama, Oprah, the National Inquirer, People Magazine, Jerry Springer, Dancing with the Stars, and their iPhone. But I assure you there is.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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