After a nice and relaxing bus ride, accompanied by a film featured by Avi, we arrived in the magnificent city of Dresden. Our eyes were immediately attracted to the beauty of the city and the magnificence of the architecture. Everyone raced for their cameras and began to take as many pictures as possible. The city is so extraordinary, that one cannot even begin to accurately capture it through the media of pictures. One must be here first hand to honestly experience the city of Dresden and to hear the joy of the people, the laughter of children and students, and the cool breeze that seems to perfect the experience.
Despite this euphoric feeling that the city and its infrastructure gives you, one cannot help but think of the events that occurred here a little over sixty years ago. Tens of thousands of people were killed here by the allies, as they demolished the majority of the city of Dresden. Precious historical artifacts and monuments were lost, and the city was left in ruins. It would take several decades for the city to be rebuilt and restored to its true beauty.
Today, as we walked the streets of Dresden, I had mixed emotions as I was reminded of the events that occurred here. Innocent people had lost their lives, families had been destroyed, and the city lay in ruins not knowing where to turn next. To empathize with the people of Dresden during that era is a very challenging task to accurately complete. To try and even conceive the physical and emotional struggles that they occurred is almost impossible. However, the best way to feel that true empathy, and to honor the innocent lives that were taken during that time is to be here first hand in the city. By doing so, we provide ourselves with a primary and unique experience within their culture. This exclusive and incredible insight allows us to have the tools and resources to understand as best as possible, to grow as human beings, and to learn from our histories past so that we may improve our own decision making skills.
Dresden is not only a reconstructed work of beauty, but it is an extraordinary opportunity for us to grow as people.