This afternoon we traveled to Dachau Concentration Camp. Unfortunately we got lost on the way there, so we made it to the memorial site only ten minutes before all tours ended and buildings closed. We were still able to walk through the camp for about an hour though. There not many people there at this point, which made the camp seem even more eerie.
A lot of the trip has been focused on what is important in our career. I have thought a lot about the things I need to do in the future to be successful and how learning about other cultures will help me advance professionally. The visit to Dachau was instead about what is important in life. One of the first memorials inside the camp reads “May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933-1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defense of peace and freedom and in respect for their fellow men.”
This statement struck me deeply. After studying the Holocaust this past semester, I learned not only about Hitler’s Final Solution, but also about other genocides occurring in the world today. A mass genocide must have three parts – victims, perpetrators and bystanders. In the genocides of today (Darfur, Bosnia, etc.) I am a bystander. I hear about these events often, but I have yet to take action. The above quote was an inspiration to “unite” and do something. It is truly is up to us to keep this world peaceful. In a world that is growing constantly, there will always be evil. Those who have strong morals must portray them without fear and most work to keep what is right above all else.
Another memorial at the camp displays the quote “Never Again.” After WWII so many people thought that the world had finally learned its lesson. Many countries said there will never be another Holocaust and vowed to act sooner in such events leading up to one. Today, however innocent people are still persecuted for their beliefs and backgrounds. Being at the camp really made me think about what I have done to prevent another genocide from happening.
Hitler’s anger was fueled by the treatment he received from this father and his rejection to art school. I personally believe that he suffered from many psychological problems, of which were worsened by such rejections. Although it is a small task, I try to make others feel valued. I do think that there is a place for all backgrounds and people on this Earth. Although I cannot assure everyone that they are important, I do my best to illustrate how they can contribute to the greater good. Someday, I hope to do much more.
For now, visiting Dachau and learning more about the Holocaust has been extremely informational. The concentration camp felt so real. The emotions one has while there are truly indescribable. We were not able to enter the crematoriums, but there was a great sense of loss and emptiness. No matter how much I learn about my career on this trip, I will always remember the acts that were carried out on the very grounds I stood today. It is for those victims that I will continue to study the Holocaust and work for equality and liberty, no matter what job I may end up with.
2 comments:
I completely agree with Jessica. The reality of being at the concentration camp made me feel like I should also become more than a bystander. As I was walking through the camp, I had images in my head of all the innocent lives that were lost because of this one man and his many followers. The most emotional part for me was the memorial in front of the museum. The sculpture really got to me as the realization of this entire event took over. What a terrible thing to take place in history especially when it was preventable by the bystanders. I, also have taken an interest in the Holocaust and find it amazing that anti-semitism treatment is still taking place. Have we not learned from history? Is there any way to rid the world of this treatment? Jessica makes a great point of getting away from being the bystander. Hopefully in the future more bystanders will share their voice.
Seeing Dachau for me was an experience that I simply cannot find an adjective to describe. I began to cry at one point. It honestly baffles my mind that something this horrendous could have occurred. And looking back the 1930s weren't that long ago in relation to our existence. The part that hurts me the most is to think of how people could do this to other people. How did mankind become so easily influenced? I know that fear plays a huge role, and the fact that majority of the camp workers were late teens to mid twenties. This is an age where people are easily persuaded because they don’t even know who they are. I do not wish to go back to the concentration camp, but I do not regret going at all.
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