BBC Radio 4 2015-11-07

Good morning

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. These words, from Laurence Binyon , will be echoed in countless villages, towns and cities across our nation tomorrow, Remembrance Sunday.

Communities salute many things as they celebrate the local women and men who gave their lives in the field of battle. The poppy has become more than just a symbol of commemoration and gratitude. The British Legion campaign this year has focussed on the poppy as a symbol of the future. And particularly so for the war wounded and their families of more recent conflicts. They deserve all the support we can give.
I recently read a new book ,The Modern Mind in an Age of Anxiety, by the neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux. We tend to define bravery in terms of being without fear but Le Doux argues that there is a big difference in the human spirit between what we might call fear and the human ability to respond to a threat.

Many of those called to serve their country in the theatre of war – however much fear they may have had within their souls – show their bravery as an unselfish and sacrificial response to a threat posed to them and us.

Such human virtues have been celebrated in literature since stories were first told, drawn or written down: the battle between good and evil; the folly of human sin; the need for the aggressor to be overcome despite huge hurdles.

And many biblical texts, in which faith provides an added dimension as it did for many serving soldiers, encompasses the same themes. The Old Testament can be described as a library of books reflecting the power of the human spirit to overcome insurmountable hurdles. As the Psalmist asks, again and again, “Why should I be afraid?” if I have confidence in my deliverance from evil in the pursuit of peace. Fear is overcome. Bravery shines through.

Richard Tobin, who served in the Royal Naval Division, was interviewed by the BBC in the 1960’s and vividly portrayed his emotions as the call was given to quit the trenches and go into battle.

“As soon as you got over the top [he reflects] fear has left you and it is terror. You don’t look. You see, You don’t hear, you listen. The veneer of civilisation has dropped away”

As John Henry Newman writes in my favourite hymn [Praise to the Holiest], extraordinary human bravery is called upon to “strive” against the enemy and in order to “prevail”.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.