There is clearly a strong need for people to get involved in something that is much greater than them - provided it can give back the right feel-good messages. In its day, organised religion probably had the monopoly on it, and certainly it still serves that need. But we also have Anzac Day services and parades, in which a greater number of people have taken the time to participate in, frequently with medals of grandfathers and (in the case of youngsters) great-grandfathers.
Since my grandfather survived the war, it hasn't felt appropriate for me to wear his medals, and I know he wouldn't have liked me to. My father recently discovered his diary, written in Burma after VJ Day, and it is clear the greatest challenge in his life was not the war, but taking the plunge and committing to emigrating to New Zealand - and convincing - via telegram - his young Scottish wife with two small children to pack up and meet him in Wellington via a troopship from England. With houses in short supply in England, and my grandfather's mother-in-law and brother-in-law moved into their small home in Bognor Regis, emigration looked good, but it was still a leap of faith that takes my breath away. I can give thanks to that, because it meant my existence today.
The sacrifice of the fallen is so immense that in some respects it's an easy homogeneous weight to salute. We perceive an absolute 'rightness' to the concept of stopping the Axis forces in 1939. The church is much the same as a large 'concept' of moral rightness; believe in Me and you'll be saved. But it is interesting to note, in around 40 responses to a recent Thought of the Day posted on Facebook asking: we don't give enough thanks to ... ? No one mentioned those who fell in the war. Three people mentioned God.
Our current lives are possible because of those who fought in the two wars. But our lives are also made possible because of more immediate sacrifices, our parents' efforts to raise us and provide for us, selfless volunteering in small communities, and bloody hard work. Which is, in the end, what featured overwhelmingly in the Thought.
We all reach for something better for ourselves and our families. Quite often, we do things to help our community. Don't forget to thank those people too.