They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old

Every year, as Remembrance Sunday approaches, I adopt what I like to think is a slightly more philosophical outlook on life than my usual day-to-day worries about Dundee United's midfield (better than could be expected) and Scotland's chances of success in the Six Nations (non-existent); although my good lady assures me that I am just being even more pretentious than usual. I'll leave it for you to decide where the truth lies, but I do hope there is an important message hiding in what follows.

Here's what brings me over all reflective: no matter how dreadful things may get politically or economically, there is an immense good fortune in having been born a citizen of a First World democracy like the UK. Despite the ongoing economic gloom and the seemingly never-ending headlines about the money our elected representatives spent at John Lewis on flat-screen tellies, twenty-first century Blighty remains a nation based on some fundamental and important foundations. Freedom of speech, education and healthcare for all (whatever the flaws in practice, the principle holds true), free and fair elections and the rule of law may not be utmost in our thoughts on the morning commute, but they underpin every aspect of our way of life, including our business dealings. I'm no Adam Smith, but free trade seems to sit more easily alongside a free political system than it does a totalitarian one.

But, as this time of year reminds us, these freedoms are not without cost. 1968 remains the only year since the end of WWII when British service personnel have not been killed on active duty; and considerably more have been severely injured and disabled. Yet all this loss and suffering may have happened in conflicts where our freedoms might not have obviously been under attack or where the benefit of hindsight questions the wisdom of going to war in the first place. And these concerns raise their head before you get into the difficult ideological arguments about whether or not any war can be morally justifiable.

However, and whatever your views on war in general or specific conflicts (past or present) in particular, I would like to think that most (if not all) of us agree on the importance of remembering the sacrifices made by others to protect our way of life. My usual introspection on this issue was highlighted last week by two contrasting stories - the sorry tale of Sheffield Hallam student Philip Laing who could face jail after being caught urinating on a poppy wreath after a very heavy drinking session and the rather odd but now overturned ban against wearing a poppy that toiletries store, Bodycare, briefly imposed on its staff.

Bodycare's explanation was that it viewed the poppy as a charitable symbol and, seeing as it was company policy to forbid any charitable emblem of any kind, staff were asked to remove their poppies. Whilst not ignoring the incredibly important work done by the Royal British Legion for which the annual poppy appeal is a huge fundraiser, it seems to me that this argument misses the point about buying and wearing a poppy. It is a lot, lot more than a charitable donation - rather, it is in itself an act of remembrance and, if the possible custodial sentence faced by Mr Laing gives us any indication, one which we as a society still value as being hugely important.

Indeed, taking some time out of our busy working days once a year to contemplate the sacrifices made on our behalf seems the least we can do to say thank you for the freedoms we all enjoy (and perhaps take for granted). So, at 11am this Wednesday (the symbolic anniversary of 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the fighting finally stopped on the Western Front leaving an estimated 1.5 million dead), I hope you might find the time for some quiet reflection. And if the pressures of modern living mean that you can't, then why not find another moment to remember? As we are encouraged to do in the famous verse of Laurence Binyon with which I began the blog, "At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them."