Re: Jews in Nazi Germany and the doubts of the witnesses
Kees Vanderheyden (keesv@sympatico.ca)
Sun, 11 May 1997 11:26:58 -0400
Dear Eberhard and Tom,
We are - or are we?- of the generation of those who were children during
the war. We couldn't do much to prevent, heal or help. I don't feel like
just blaming the adults of that time, because it's up to us to see if we
have learned something from that terrible tragedy and to try to figure
out how we seem to repeat the same mistakes, albeit on a smaller scale.
Of the things I've learned three stand out : the danger of propaganda
that prevents us from thinking for ourselves and that oversimplies
everything. The other is the importance of trying to continue to see
"the other" as a human being like me, like us. Finally, as we will
continue at times to be stupid, brutal, selfish, we always need
forgiveness to get over the end of a conflict. If we can't forgive, the
anger, the hate, the desire for revenge just waits to get out again.
Peace is not the end of war, its reconciliation (if possible). This is
usually very difficult for the first generation of actors and victims,
but we, their children, can and should do it. I carry these 3 ideas with
me all since the German occupation and the Liberation.
Kees (The Dutch school boy)