I've never experienced war, thank god for that. Nor have I arrested anyone or came to the aid of a burning building. But I understand that these are very stressful deeds that deserve our respect.
Still they are occupations that are chosen by each individual and for which they are well trained to do.
When I was a young man and to an extent still today, I was quite the student of military history. I found learning about the incredible human struggles at the Somme,Ypres, Dunkirk, Stalingrad to name a few, and even into the Vietnam era, fascinating. And I often wonder at the kinds of intense stress that these soldiers must have endured.
I would not be a policeman for any amount of money. The heartache and evil they see on a daily basis would be too much for me.
And what happens when a Canadian Soldier, Policeman or Firefighter is killed during the course of his duties? It makes front page news, the lead story on the News Hour and parades are held in honour.
That's all very fine and good. But what about the rest of us who might lose their life while on the job? What happens then? Nothing outside of the family funeral. Why is that?
Did you know that 41 Loggers lost their life on the job in 2005? And that is just in British Columbia. That's about the same number of Canadian Soldiers who have died in Afghanistan as of the date of this writing.
Why are the lives of soldiers, policemen and firemen so much more missed than some father of 3 who happens to have been the target of a falling tree? Why don't the loggers get the parade, or for that matter the factory workers and construction guys?
What makes some occupations more worthy of honour than others?
Please, please spare me the "they were serving our country and community" speech. A soldier decides to be a soldier for his own reasons, same for a policeman or fireman.
There may be issues of control, of power, maybe one likes the heavily structured atmosphere of military life, maybe another wants to feed his macho inadequacies by being a fireman. Who knows, but its for their personal reasons.
A logger has just as noble a cause, to feed his kids and see that they get a good education. Is that not just as worthy an occupation?
Let's quit worshipping these over glorified professionals as amazing heroes and treat them with the same respect as any working man deserves. No more, no less.
