Day of Unity, 22 January 2010
A unity day greeting, and a note on what a commemoration of a failed union is actually for.
A good Day of Unity to everyone marking it.
The act of 1919 that this day commemorates did not last. The state it created was overwhelmed within a few years, and anyone looking for a triumphant anniversary is looking at the wrong date.
Which raises a question worth asking: what is a commemoration of something that failed actually for?
I think the answer is that it marks an intention rather than an outcome. The union was attempted; the attempt is the thing being remembered, and an attempt establishes that something was thinkable before it was possible.
Countries that only commemorate their successes end up with a very short calendar and a rather dishonest one.
A good day to you and yours.
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