Auschewitz, Fri 7/7,
I have just seen a place beyond comprehension. It is different from Majdanek, which oppressively crushes emotion out of us. Here, the fear is created in the vastness of the camp and its seemingly never-ending rows of barracks and guard towers. It is a place to think rather than feel.
On my long walk through the grounds, my mind turns to why we have chosen to remember what has occurred here. We say that it is to ensure that such events will never happen again, but if this is our only aim, we have had little success. Althiough not on the same scale, genocides continue to occur in the world today, just as always, undeterred by the fact that we are “remembering.” Clearly, we must carefully choose what construction we place upon these events if we are to actually attempt to improve the world’s condition.
Many of us choose to remember by taking pride in who we are, and I admire and respect this practice. I only hope that this sense of pride does not turn into a sense of privilege. We have every reason to be proud of who we are, but if ever such sentiments turn into a belief of superiority, then we truly have failed. We must ensure that in our rememberances we seek to ensure the well being of everyone, not just ourselves.
Our minds and our hearts have all been dealt a severe blow from which it is difficult too recover. Let us hope, however, that our vision is still intact.