Imagine a Canada in which Hitler is a hero, democracy is dead and multiculturalism is a dream.

There’s no Maple Leaf, Jarome Iginla is not allowed to play hockey because he’s black and the mere mention of forming a Jewish cultural centre would get you thrown in jail, tortured or even killed.

Horrified?

Disgusted?

Me too.

Perhaps some may think it strange, shocking or offensive to entertain such thoughts. Maybe to others it seems pointless to think about “what if” scenarios.

For me, however, it was my way this year to slump out of a malaise over Remembrance Day.

Now maybe you think me heartless and ungrateful to have to muster up appreciation for a holiday that honours the sacrifices Canadians made to ensure my freedom, but cut me some slack.

After all, the last Remembrance Day ceremony I went to in Westbank was hardly attended by great masses.

I don’t get the sense that even a quarter of the nation watches Remembrance Day ceremonies on television.

But I’m not a ratings guru and I could be wrong, maybe eight million Canadians do watch and I’m in the minority.

Please don’t consider me disrespectful either.

I have great admiration for veterans and war survivors.

I buy my poppy each year too darn it, even though I wish the volunteers carried Interac machines on them because I never have change on me in this debit-card crazy life of mine.

Despite all that, I find it hard to get into the somber spirit of Remembrance Day.

For as long as I can remember it’s been like going to a funeral, which seems contradictory to the celebratory nature of most other holidays.

I mean, can’t we throw confetti and light firecrackers to celebrate our freedom?

Again, I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, although I accept that to some maybe I do.

I also admit full well that there’s not much good to remember about war based on the stories I’ve been told from relatives who served in battle.

I suppose I should try harder to put myself in the shoes of someone who lost a loved one in war.

To be honest though, I can’t really feel the same level of loss they do nor should I pretend to.

And, to be frank, my generation’s notion of war is foggy at best, coming from an odd mix of stories told by grandparents, polluted with sensational images of combat created by Hollywood filmmakers and global video game developers.

Let’s face it, other than a few scares during the last throes of the Cold War, perhaps the greatest talk of another world war occurring happened in 1990 and 1991 during the height of the Gulf War, when some people suggested the situation would heighten if the United States and its allies pushed into Iraq or if Israel entered the war in retaliation over Scud missile attacks.

So forgive me if I conjure up nightmarish notions in my mind this year to gain some new appreciation for Remembrance Day.

I know Canadian soldiers sacrificed themselves for my freedom.

I do sincerely say thank you and I’ll do my utmost to remember this year.

Jason Luciw is the Westside

reporter for the CapitalNews.

jluciw@kelownacapnews.com