It is desperately sad to hear a 100 year old say he does not think that World War 2 was worth it.
It’s important to think carefully about our responses. He should be listened to and not just ignored for his age. We have an unhealthy tendency to write off the elderly in our society. The introduction of legal euthanasia both reflects and exacerbates this. The sadness is that anyone feels like that in our society.
At the same time, his age and service don’t equate to infallibility. He is not automatically right in his assessment and not should we simply use him to affirm our own bias. I’ve seen a few social media posts using him to promote the agendas of others without anyone checking that this is what he meant.
There are aspects of today’s society that are not good, hospital waiting lists, inflation, threat of tax rises and yes some of the aspects of (lack of) free speech. I would add in the resurgence of ethno-cultural Nationalism and of antisemitism, the very things that were meant to be defeated 80 years ago.
There are many good things about life today, too. Much of our society is diverse and welcoming. Immigration in many places has encouraged a growth in Christian faith and given Gospel opportunities. We are less alert to some sins but more alert to others. We have benefited much in terms of advances in technology.
The enemy defeated in 1945 would have removed democracy and continued an evil Holocaust against Jews and others. For that reason alone, surely we have to insist that it was worth it
Faithroots 