#holocaust

KEN, ANNE AND ELEANOR

 

 

The Holocaust was a reminder to us…

besides being a most horrific crime…

that dark forces of evil and intolerance 

have been flowing since the dawn of time.

 

If you want a sampling of how cruel and inhuman 

we, who call ourselves human, can be…

I’ll be frank…watch Ken Burns’s ‘The U. S. 

and the Holocaust’ and read Anne’s diary.

 

An innocent young child who, because of her religion, 

faced unimaginable enmity and strife…

who never had the chance to grow old…

to have a long and happy life.

 

She was but one of millions of Jewish people 

who, at the hands of the Nazis, died…

a crime so horrific it didn’t have a word to describe it…

it does not…genocide.

 

But as I watched Ken Burns ‘Holocaust’ and read Anne’s words…thinking no crimes have ever been as gruesome as these…

I began to wonder if there were other children in the world 

who have written similar diaries.

 

Looking back on the history of humankind…

I imagine there are a few…

and as difficult as it would be to hear their words…

I think we need to read them too.

 

Other groups of humans 

whose annihilation was in other human’s plans…

If these children had written diaries…

would their words be similar to Anne’s?

 

From Native Americans, Blacks, people of color, women 

who have endured so much torture and pain…

to LGBTQ+ people all over the world 

and most recently…the people of Ukraine.

 

There are times when the stream of evil begins to overflow its banks 

and no matter how much we pray…

its waters rush in determined to eliminate 

anyone who gets in their way.

 

When groups of people are signaled out…belittled…

made to feel different and small….

until more diaries our discovered…

Anne’s words must speak for them all.

 

Anne never got to finish her diary…

she died just before the end of the war….

but I imagine she wouldn’t mind if it was finished 

with words from Eleanor…

 

Eleanor…who throughout it all…remained steadfast…

resolute and strong….

She said there can be no compromise at any point 

with things that we know are wrong.

 

Perhaps one way to keep the stream of evil contained…

to keep it from overflowing its shore…

would be to watch Ken’s series

read through the pages of Anne’s diary…

and heed the words of Eleanor.

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A DAY TO REMEMBER

I believe one of the reasons the Creator gave us memories is so…once the movie is our mind is played…we can remember what brought us joy in life…as well as the mistakes we’ve made.

 

If we use our memory as intended…we will do whatever it takes…to look back on the life we’ve led…and learn from our mistakes.

 

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day…a day some people would like to hide…a day to remember the Nazi Party and their attempt at Genocide.

 

A day to remember the millions of victims of the Holocaust’s inhumanity…a day not only to remember the atrocities…but how those atrocities came to be.

 

The Nazis used propaganda…they spread misinformation…they lied…they used the latest technology to increase fear and prejudice and hate…and millions of people died.

 

And the world stood by and wondered as the Nazis tried to create…a land of white supremacy…based on vitriol and hate.

 

Today’s the day to remember…and to try and understand…a time in history when love was forgotten…and hate tried to rule the land.

 

A day to remember one country’s attempt at Genocide and to do whatever it takes…not to let that ever happen again…and to learn from their mistakes.

 

But as evidenced by the events of January 6…an insurrection some are already trying to forget…as we remember the Holocaust today…we haven’t learned its lesson yet.

 

If we do not learn from our mistakes…we will never be the people the Creator intended us to be…as I’m sure Native Americans, people of color, Muslims, the LGBTQ+ community and many more of us...will readily agree.

 

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History Class

I was not alive in 1836.

It was much too long ago.

But my teacher taught us in History class

to, ‘Remember The Alamo’

 

I was not alive in 1898

when Cuba revolted against Spain.

But my teacher taught us in History class

how we must, ‘Remember The Maine’.

 

I was not alive in 1941

when the Hawaiian skies turned to grey.

But my teacher taught us in History class

to, ‘Remember Pearl Harbor Day’.

 

I wasn’t alive when the Nazis were in power

and all those lives were lost.

But my teacher taught us in History class

how we must, ‘Remember The Holocaust’.

 

I wasn’t alive when George Santayana

talked of History...and how we mistreat it...

He said if we cannot learn History...

we will all be doomed to repeat it.

 

But I am alive now...and I will do all in my power

to make hate, war, and bigotry cease..

So when my children’s children...and their children take History class...

 

they’ll be taught to ‘Remember a world...at Peace’.


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