"If the Holocaust were about evil alone, it would be best to shut its memory away, and never breathe the name. But if the Holocaust is about immeasurable suffering, it is also about courage. If it is about despair, it is also about hope. If it is about needless death, it is also about precious life." Kathy Lowinger My German friend, 89, remembers that once there were two little girls-- she and her older sister, who walked the streets of Berlin and played with their Jewish friends. Years later, she and her sister were torn apart-- pulled away from their friends because her friends were Jews . They drifted apart and be among their Aryan kind and got on with life. But her friends, herded with among the Jews, languished in the ghettos. In need of survival. Later on, in Auschwitz vanished in smoke. She remembers the shadows of her friends a wisp of vivid memory. She remembers her anguished past. Until today, she hides from bitter, evil memory. She longs to hear their voices and seeks to be forgiven. If she only knew ... they have.
Over here, it is the memory of the second world war that lingers with the aged citizens. They cannot and wouldn't want to forget the atrocities committed by the Japanese soldiers who invaded our country. They can still vividly recall those years of terror. Perhaps those memories were etched in their minds and the trauma remains. We have an American orientation because the US had occupied us after the second world war and Filipinos feel that Americans were the rescuers who saved our country from hell created by the Japanese Imperial Army. And so anything from America is good to our eyes, be it whiskey, cigarettes, corned beef and anything that we called Stateside. And those old folks surely love America. Note: This is not to uncover old wounds, just reminiscing.
When I think of World War II I think of the suffering all of those people were subjected to. I have never understood how humans could treat each other so inhuman. Some people treat their pets better than they treat other people. I feel bad for the way Jews were treated during the war and the encampment of Japanese people here in the states.
If you haven't read this short book, I recommend it highly. It's called How Do You Kill 11 Million People?: Why the Truth Matters More Than You Think, by Andy Andrews. Referring to the number of people estimated to have been killed by the Nazi German regime between 1933 and 1945, the principles developed are applicable to other mass killings, and on a much wider basis. The book examines the circumstances under which a civilized people could be persuaded to allow and even participate in something as horrific as the holocaust, not only against the Jewish people but against the Gypsies, the Poles, the mentally ill, and the homosexuals. I couldn't recommend this book more strongly, as it gives you a lot to think about, particularly in light of our current situations here in the United States and elsewhere in the world. From Amazon.com, it's available in book form, or for the Kindle, and other formats.