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The infamous Auschwitz death camps in which the Nazi regime commited one of the most hideous crimes in human history , were liberated by the Red Army 60 years ago today. It is now officially known as the " Holocaust Museum " as a reminder of the terrible evil of the Nazi Final Solution, in which 6 million Jews were murdered in Auschwitz's gigantic gas chambers.
Any thoughts on this important anniversary and the evil of the Holocaust ?
One would hope that this will be an anniversary forever remembered no matter what because so long as we keep fresh in our minds what happened there, we can hope to avoid any such actrocities in our collective future.
It is also of the utmost importance in my mind, that we as a society begin to learn more compassion and tolerance for other cultures, other races, just general differences between us, so that there can be no chance of a new Nazi order or any order of the elk reappearing and once again carrying out this acts.
We must never forget what happened during the Holocaust, or tolerate actions of this nature in the same way that we must not tolerate genocide in Africa or blind hatred of other races at all. If we can learn and always be aware of our past, we can avoid repeating it in the future and never have to be faced with this magnitude of death ever again.
May all who died find peace and may their spirits forever be a reminder of the price we all pay for hate.
Take care all.
Like the anniversaries of D-Day, Pearl Harbor, and other battles, we should also remember those who died not on the battlefield, but in Hitler's death camps. Auschwitz, being composed of three seperate camps, is the most infamous and the reputed worst death camp the Nazi regime constructed. It is sad that much of what people know of World War II is that of battles and countries. Few know about the horror of the death camps or how many Jews were killed in them. I for one hope that all will remember the day that gave thousands of Jews the answer to thier prayers and marked the coming end of the War.
As for the Holocaust, it is one of, if not the worst, examples of genocide in history. For no reason other than the ideals on one group, over 1 million Jews were killed in concentration and death camps, and even in the streets of cities. We as human beings must be sure to never again allow such an act of large scale slaughter to go on.
On a side note, if you guys have not already read it, I would suggest reading Schindlers List for a look on how one man can stand up and make a difference in the worlds darkest hour.
The first half of Dr. Viktor Frankle's book "Man's Search for Meaning" details his time spent inside Auschwitz.
People should also be made aware of the Japanese Americans we forced into concentration camps in WWII as well. Nobody hears about that. I doubt there was widespread killing, but still.
All that is required for evil to flourish is for good people to sit and do nothing.
Well, the concentration camps in the U.S were HUGELY better than any others. Admittedly, it isn't a great place to be, but it's still far better then the German ones. But yes, few people even know of them, so they should be made more, recognized in history.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeBlayde
Toured the place once. Not something I'll forget.
I visited Anne Frank Huis on this very night. She did in Auschwitz, didn't she? It's very sad. There were flower bunches in many parts of Amsterdam, for the people who had died in this death camp...flowers for homosexuals, even one on the doorstep of Anne Frank Huis, I think. :cry:
Just shows us how close we are to being barbarians. *Faith in humanity drops 25 points, is now at negative 1,242* sigh...
Looking to the past and remembering our mistakes are the only things that can garauntee a better future. If we allow ourselves to forget what has happened, we'll never learn. That's why history is so important. People should be aware of what's come before them so that they can be ready for what is to come in their future.
The mass genocide of the Holocaust is perhaps one of the most important lessons history can teach us. It shows us what human hatred is capable of.
I too am disgusted that there are people who would kill so many people. But it is better to remember that there are always more good and kind people than there are those who are capable of such atrocities.
The holocaust gives us a chilling realization of how the commands of a few high ranking officials can influence many many people to do evil. When quizzed, most Nazi officers that ran the death camp simply likened their actions to 'following orders', saying it wasn't their fault. It is moral buffers like this that we need to address in order to ensure widespread moral responsibility in the modern world.
I think it's easy to see the statistics of the holocaust as exactly what they're branded - statistics. When one person dies close to use, it's sad. When 10 people die in a bus crash, it's a tragedy. The halocaust is a tragedy of which the emotional impact can never, never be dampened.
Well, it was a horrible massacre, that no one can deny. However, and as most things refering to the holocaust, the politicians use it to show the most elegant, charming and civic hypocresy. I just detest to listen to the speeches of peace and love, and about how "this should never repeat", while the most powerful countries in the world spend massive ammounts of budget on weapons of mass destruction and armament development which could kill more people the Holocaust ever did in the blink of an eye. And yet, thousands die every day in Africa, but they just turn their head pretending they just didn't see.
In "The Unbearable Lightness of Being", Milan Kundera explained how the concept of eternal return thought by Nietzsche would twist the whole concept of history: if everything that happened through our lifes was destined to be repeated over and over ad infinitum, then every error would be more than lightness that fades away once years have
passed. If things were going to repeat over and over, every error would be fatal, eternal, and those who died back then, and those who die now, would be dying again, and again, and again, and this would be eternity. Under this concept, the Holocaust would happen again, all the victims would live through hell again, and yet again, if you wish to end another infinite loop of suffering, then maybe the best way of avoiding another Holocaust is not to develop the means for it to happen, as are most developed- and some developing- countries today.
Yes, organizing events in the memory of those killed is a good thing. Doing something more than that would be better.