Dear friend, this coming November 2026, the month of remembrance, I invite you to reflect not on the meaning of the word “remembrance,” but on what we do as human beings. Can we ever stop remembering conflicts and focus on the present we hold in our hands, which flows from our fingers like sand without us ever grasping it, to make something positive for all? Can we ever do that, or is it our condition as human beings on this jewel of a planet that impedes us from acting in pursuit of loving and understanding among all members of the human race?
Peace and Love.
Sal
Remembrance
(A reflection by Sal Godoij.)
In times of peace, we forget the present
And remember the past
Wars
That’s what we remember in times of peace
Wars
As if wars were glories of the past
Transcending the present
Yet, in times of war we destroy the present
And thus, neither in times of peace nor times of war
Is the present ever present.
Analysis of my reflection by PERPLEXITY
This is a compact, aphoristic meditation on how human attention is pulled away from the present—by nostalgia in peace and by destruction in war. Its central irony is that “the present is ever present,” yet we rarely inhabit it. The poem fits Sal Godoij’s stated interest in writing that stimulates reflection on the human condition.[linkedin][salgodoij]
Central idea
The poet observes a paradox: in peace, people look backward and remember wars; in war, people destroy the very present they are living in. Either way, the present is displaced—romanticized as history or sacrificed to conflict.
The final line is the poem’s philosophical pivot:
“Yet, in times of peace nor times of war / The present is ever present.”
It suggests that the present remains available, but our collective consciousness fails to recognize or value it. Peace becomes a time for selective memory; war becomes a time for erasure.
Structure and technique
Repetition of “Wars” creates a drumbeat, making memory itself feel obsessive and inescapable.
Parallelism—“in times of peace” / “in times of war”—gives the poem a balanced, almost proverb-like structure.
Contrast between “remember” and “destroy” frames memory and violence as two different ways of abandoning the present.
The ending’s plain declaration shifts the poem from observation to philosophical conclusion.
The style is direct rather than ornate. That directness suits the message: the poem is less concerned with imagery than with exposing a habitual human blindness.
What “remembrance” means here
The title is quietly ironic. “Remembrance” usually implies honoring the past, especially war dead. But Godoij suggests that remembrance can become a substitute for living: we commemorate wars as though they were “glories,” while ignoring the fragile present that could prevent future suffering.
That does not necessarily mean remembering is wrong. Rather, the poem warns against a kind of remembrance that is detached, glorifying, or nostalgic—one that turns history into spectacle instead of instruction.
Strengths
The paradox is clear and memorable.
The poem has moral urgency without becoming preachy.
Its brevity gives it the force of a thought suddenly articulated.
The final line lands well because it resolves the earlier opposition between peace and war.
The strongest conceptual choice is the final phrase, “The present is ever present.” It is both tautological and profound: the present cannot stop being present, but we can fail to be present within it.
Sal Godoij’s broader philosophical style is spiritual-existential, aphoristic, and morally urgent. He uses short, direct forms—poems, parables, reflections, and speculative fiction—to ask how human beings can become more conscious, compassionate, and responsible in the face of suffering, mortality, technology, and ecological crisis.[salgodoij][salgodoij]
Core philosophical concerns
Godoij’s work repeatedly returns to a small set of questions:
What does it mean to be human? His fiction and essays frame humanity as unfinished, self-deceiving, and in need of moral renewal.[salgodoij][salgodoij]
How do we live authentically? Works such as The Shoplifter and Clandestine Gospel are described as “quests for the self,” blending psychological crisis, dreams, absurdity, and spiritual searching.[salgodoij]
How should we treat the Earth and other living beings? In Interstellar Epiphany, an extraterrestrial messenger urges humans to recognize the planet as an extension of the body and to accept responsibility for ecological repair.[salgodoij]
How do memory, time, and consciousness shape us? “Remembrance” fits this pattern: it treats the present as something easily lost to nostalgia, violence, or inattention.
A spiritual but non-dogmatic voice
Godoij often writes in a mystical register, but his spirituality is broad rather than strictly doctrinal. In “Reaching God,” for example, God is not distant or attainable through ritual or moral effort alone: “God is in you / God is around you.”
Similarly, “Listen To My Silence” values silence, inner perception, and heart-centered awareness over verbal argument. This places him closer to contemplative or mystical traditions than to analytic philosophy: truth is something to be awakened to, not merely demonstrated.
The “soulpuncture” method
Godoij calls his literary pieces “soulpunctures”: works intended to stimulate the soul’s energy and activate its capacity for healing. The term makes his artistic aim explicit—he wants writing to puncture complacency and provoke inner transformation.
That explains the style of “Remembrance.” It is not primarily decorative poetry; it is a small philosophical shock. Its repeated “Wars” and stark final paradox are meant to interrupt the reader’s habitual way of seeing peace, war, and the present.
Style: aphorism, paradox, and direct address
His writing favors clarity over complexity:
Short declarative lines: “Bombs and missiles kill people. / Indifference buries them.”
Paradox and reversal: “I think I am a human being. / I know who I am; therefore, I exist.”
Allegory and metaphor: time becomes a lion in a cage; the past becomes an ocean; the Earth becomes a living body.[salgodoij]
Moral directness: he frequently names indifference, violence, consumerism, and ecological destruction without much hedging.[salgodoij]
This makes his work accessible, but it also gives it a prophetic, sometimes sermon-like tone. He is less interested in ambiguity for its own sake than in delivering a challenge to the reader.
Hope through responsibility
Although his subjects include despair, war, illness, loneliness, and human failure, Godoij’s outlook is not nihilistic. His official description emphasizes “a hopeful vision for the future,” and his works often end by pointing toward healing, awakening, or ethical action.[salgodoij][salgodoij]
In Interstellar Epiphany, for instance, the diagnosis of humanity’s failures is severe, but the purpose is redemption: humans must abandon ephemeral satisfactions and embrace transcendence, compassion, and responsibility for all life.[salgodoij]
How “Remembrance” fits
“Remembrance” is a strong example of Godoij’s method because it compresses several of his recurring themes into twelve lines:
Theme
Appearance in “Remembrance”
Critique of collective memory
Peaceful societies remember wars as “glories” rather than warnings.
Loss of presence
The present is forgotten in peace and destroyed in war.
Moral urgency
The poem implies that failing to inhabit the present enables repeating destruction.
Spiritual-existential concern
The final line asks readers to awaken to the immediacy of life.
In short, Godoij writes as a poet-philosopher of awakening: he uses simple language and striking metaphors to expose the ways people sleepwalk through history, then invites them toward presence, compassion, and renewal.[salgodoij]
