[Closed] Are you turning your lights off at 10pm?

Early night?

Yep, turning the lights off and sticking a tea light in a window at the front of the house.

Yes

10? Thought it was 11?

Candle in the window. All other lights off. Think its really important.

Candle in the Wind.

Sorry - do I have my anniversaries mixed up?

10 till 11 apparently, wasn't aware but am now 😀

Yup, lights will be off, curtains shut, tissues at the ready... 😳

A lot easier to turn the lights off for a good cause these days, what with kindles and the telly.

Yes.

I would but as I go to bed at 10, I'd be a bit uncomfortable leaving a lit candle in the window near curtains.

I think it's important but might do mine from 9 until 10.

I really don't see the point, it's not as if it will make any difference.

it's not as if it will make any difference.

Well you can choose to remember those who died during WW1, or you can choose not to. That's the difference.

I see the point.

[quote=ernie_lynch ]

it's not as if it will make any difference.

There's a lot of dickheadish behaviour in the UK at the moment so it's good for the soul for people to join together and do something thoughtful IMO

My GF just asked if your still allowed the tele on?

I can remember them without making insignificant gestures.

The Royal British Legion suggestion that lights are turned off from 10pm to 11pm and candles lit instead sounds quite significant to me, specially if everyone does it.

Of course no one has to do it if they don't want to.

No, I will give it a miss. Do you always mark the anniversary of the start of the war(s)?

It's certainly not a celebration, as others have indicated. I'll offer thoughts.

scotroutes, thanks for that, think I heard that first on John Peel's show many many years ago.. wasn't it an Eric Bogle tune? .. yes, thought so..

Well you can choose to remember those who died during WW1, or you can choose not to. That's the difference.

I can remember them just fine on my own terms without resorting to token gestures with tea lights in order to make myself feel better.

That said, it's probably a sound environmental move. Maybe we should make it mandatory every day.

Do you always mark the anniversary of the start of the war(s)?

The significance of this centenary commemoration of the start of WW1 suggests that no, we don't "always mark the anniversary of the start of wars". Most years the anniversary is ignored.

Was there a need to ask ?

Moreover,

Are you going to switch off the lights and sit in a quiet hour's remembrance, or are you going to do it and think "well, this is shit" and watch Big Brother until 11pm?

One is significantly more appropriate than the other. If you're just going to tick a box so that you can say you've done it and take the moral high ground, you might as well not bother.

I can remember them just fine on my own terms without resorting to token gestures

Presumably you feel that other people can't ? Why's that ?

Yes, I wanted to know.

My GF just asked if your still allowed the tele on?

Well?

Yes, I wanted to know.

You thought this might happen every year ? 🙂

Presumably you feel that other people can't ? Why's that ?

I don't feel anything of the sort, why do you presume anything (beyond spoiling for an argument)?

The OP's question was "are you turning off your lights", not "what do you think everyone else should do?" I couldn't give a tuppenny toss what anyone else does with their evening. If you want to sit in the dark desperately ticking off the minutes till you can put the lights back on having "done your bit" (whatever than means) then more power to your elbow.

and take the moral high ground

Indeed Cougar.

.

EDIT : [i]"I couldn't give a tuppenny toss what anyone else does with their evening."[/i]

You sound angry Cougar, there's no need to be, no one is forcing you to do anything.

I think an hour of my time silently contemplating the horror of war, the sacrifice of life and wondering what I may have done in that situation will be most worthwhile.
Impressed by some of the interviews and readings currently on bbc, it is a sobering experience and transcends soundbites and tokenism.

No, I thought that some people or groups might mark the date every year, I've never known anyone to. Seems strange to do it just because it's been a hundred years, yet not any other years.

You sound angry Cougar

There you go with that presuming again.

I'm not going to rise to you, Ernie. Of all the threads, this isn't really the place for an STW pissing contest.

You do what you want. I may or may not be turning out the lights, I've not decided yet. But if I do, it'll be to think long and hard about our history, rather than because the media have decided that if we do some token gesture we can absolve ourselves of guilt and responsibility until the next anniversary.

[i]The Royal British Legion suggestion that lights are turned off from 10pm to 11pm and candles lit instead sounds quite significant to me, specially if everyone does it.[/i]

Significant? What, that someone, somewhere came up with an idea that no one else did?

A bit like the discussion at work where they said that we were marking when Germany declared war on us and we had the first blackout.

I suggested that they read-up on their history a bit...

I imagine the Fire Brigade are chuffed to bits, that everyone is going to be pissing about with candles at 10pm.

If they're actually pissing about it might be less dangerous.

The Royal British Legion suggestion that lights are turned off

I didn't know that - I'd like to retract the 'media' reference in my previous comment, sorry.

This is the first I have heard of it. I have a tea light burning in my oil burner so I guess that's my contribution.

TopTip: if you don't have a tea light handy, just leave a ciggie lit and stood on its end in the window. It should last a while smouldering on its own. Try not to fall asleep and that should keep the Fire Brigade happy.

Probably not coz I need to work and watch telly. 🙄

Today is a pretty historical day all over. Surely for those of you who might not wish to remember the 100 years since we declared war on Germany you could instead chose to remember the program Highway to Heaven which aired for the last time this day on 1989? Or, who could not find the passion to remember the poor seagull whom New York Yankee outfielder Dave Winfield killed during warm up for a game in 1983? Some people are heartless bastards.

I'll be lighting a candle tonight.

I probably won't be turning off my lights for the whole hour but I will pause for a moment to think about what it means to me and the sacrifices people made.

To me thats the whole point of it; getting people to stop and think for a moment, understand and remember the significance of what happened. If you choose to do that a different way then I have no problem. But if you're just going to sit counting the minutes as token gesture then I'd don't see the point.

you could instead chose to remember the program Highway to Heaven which aired for the last time this day on 1989?

This isn't on TV anymore?

No,
But I will be having a quiet moment of reflection on my own just as I do on November 11 every year.

On a similar vein
Am I the only 1 who thinks it is highly hypocritical of the worlds leaders to make a big thing of remembering those who gave their lives in the war to end all wars while still sending more men to fight and die in wars all round the world ?

You cant go through any village without seeing a list of names. In the Irish club in Huddersfield I noted 4 and 5 family surnames. I dont want my sons generation etc to go through anything similar.

Such acts keeps remeberance alive and just maybe we dont repeat. Although none of it affected me. I remember my Great Grandfather and loss in our family.