Respect for victims of war

Kumar Suresh in the Japan Times letters of 17th Aug 2005 comments on `Little Respect for the Occasion` is critical of Japanese people in Tokyo who celebrated the 60year anniversary of WWII with a fireworks festival. Its hard to disparage these celebrants without knowing their motives. Perhaps they were just pleased to have a day off work, given that labour has a servile relationship to business & government in Japan, which manifests in Japanese workers getting fewer days holiday than other nations, not to mention the hours of unpaid overtime.

Perhaps they were nationalists proud of Japan`s empire-building accomplishments during WWII. Perhaps they were celebrating the end of the war. Some cultures celebrate the death of workers rather than mourn their death.

Personally I prefer the more positive interpretation of events. Why do westerners make a virtue of mourning. Why is it better to mourn the loss, as opposed to celebrate the relationship you had. Its really a matter of `the glass half-full or half-empty`. We have the right to celebrate or mourn, but should we be reproaching people for doing either. Neither is an imposition on the other. I find it more shameful when western leaders describe the defence of their nations by soldiers as `the greatest sacrifice to nation`. If that is a soldiers motive than we have learnt nothing from WWII. The collectivist `self-sacrifice` ethos has underpinned every authoritarian regime that has coersed, suppressed or otherwise terrorised people, and that like should be recognised. Consider that religion has the same collectivist ethos of `non-self`.

Human ethics does not require the renunciaton of human values, it needs a refinement and celebration of them. I hope that was the motives of the Tokyo celebrants.