"We must live, and when this is all over, we must work to make the world a better place. And if we die, we will die knowing that it was not our fault, that we did our best, and we can go to our deaths in dignity… I want you both to live…And to remember...You must choose love. Always choose love.”
(from Daniel’s Story by Carol Matas, page 70)
So, it's coming time for the end of the year (12 weeks from last Tuesday, the 1st), and we are doing our Holocaust unit in English/ Lit and Social Studies. In SS, we are learning about Hitler and the world leaders during WWII, like Mussolini, Hirohito, etc. In English/ Lit, we are reading Daniel's Story. It's a book that was written in accordance with the US Holocaust Museum in DC. Everything in that book happened to someone. I finished it, and the ending is the best part. Everything else is just so saaaaddddd. I was crying when I read it, and I don't do that very often. The last time I cried while reading a book was in the Outsiders and in Rowan Academy: The Fiend and the Forge. In the Outsiders, they killed off an important character, and in The Fiend and the Forge, they killed off my favorite character (mild spoiler...Nick the lymrill). AND HE WASN'T EVEN THE MAIN CHARACTER!!!!! HE WAS HIS CHARGE!!! That made me so mad, and I was bawling when I read that. Truly, it was so sad. But, sorry, again, I digress. More than once. OK, back to the Holocaust.
I actually know a Holocaust survivor (he lives next to my aunt and uncle). He is really nice, and is full of wisdom and insight and ways to make other lives better. My great-aunt who lives in California (maybe I'll move there too, after college. I love the sun, but I would miss the snow) has a friend who survived because of Schindler's list. He made an autobiography the Boy on the Wooden Box. She ( my aunt) sent me the book, and I started reading it, but I lost it....I'll let you know when I find it again and keep reading it.
But, this quote means a lot to me. For all of those refugees and survivors, it must have been so hard for them to survive. It links back in to why we are alive.We are alive because we each have a specific purpose to fulfill. We all have a choice about everything in our lives- even being alive. Do you know how many people commit suicide every single day? Or how many people kill others just for the sake of it or because they got in a fight with them? Too many.Life is a miracle, and we should love and cherish it, because we all are alive for a reason.We are here to make the world better, at least that's what I'm striving for. My science teacher says that the main purpose of life is to survive and reproduce, to pass on our genetic traits. But I don't really agree with her. I believe that our purpose is to love. The world, each other, ourselves. Love and kindness can't spread unless it comes from us first- we need to love ourselves to be able to love others. The world would be a better place if we all just had a little love and a little kindness. Just one small act can change someone's life, and then they, too, will spread a little kindness, and so on and so forth, until, everyone can say that they experienced an act of kindness.
During the Holocaust, Hitler was nothing but a coward. All he did was hide behind his Nazi regime and thought that he could rule the world. He set about killing people on a whim. He cared little (benefit of the doubt....probably not even at all) for the well-being of his countrymen, or the Jews that he killed in those horrible concentration camps. He even committed suicide before the end of the war and ordered a 'friend' to burn his body and his wife-Eva Braun's- so that they couldn't be used for propaganda. What a coward. He didn't want to face prosecution so he took his own life after killing his wife. There are so many people out in our world like that, and I pity them. If anyone showed them a little kindness, perhaps there wouldn't be so much crime and loss.
I know, now, why Erika wanted Daniel and Rosa to live for love. Because love overcomes boundaries, it crosses borders, it heals the wounded, and frees the soul. Although I am not very religious, this, I think, is my favorite quote:
And that is true. For me, for you, and for the entire world. Love is stronger than anything on earth. I guess that I'm a bit of a romantic, but aren't there enough stories out there that tell us so?
Love makes the world go around, and I guess that's what I've been trying to say this entire time. I just used many words to get there, but the simplest words to say are the words that are inside all of us. We say them to our family, close friends, the people that we feel we want to spend the rest of our lives with. Three simple words that hold a whole lot of meaning, and can be transferred into every language there is:
Te amo -Spanish
Jeg elsker dig -DanishI actually know a Holocaust survivor (he lives next to my aunt and uncle). He is really nice, and is full of wisdom and insight and ways to make other lives better. My great-aunt who lives in California (maybe I'll move there too, after college. I love the sun, but I would miss the snow) has a friend who survived because of Schindler's list. He made an autobiography the Boy on the Wooden Box. She ( my aunt) sent me the book, and I started reading it, but I lost it....I'll let you know when I find it again and keep reading it.
But, this quote means a lot to me. For all of those refugees and survivors, it must have been so hard for them to survive. It links back in to why we are alive.We are alive because we each have a specific purpose to fulfill. We all have a choice about everything in our lives- even being alive. Do you know how many people commit suicide every single day? Or how many people kill others just for the sake of it or because they got in a fight with them? Too many.Life is a miracle, and we should love and cherish it, because we all are alive for a reason.We are here to make the world better, at least that's what I'm striving for. My science teacher says that the main purpose of life is to survive and reproduce, to pass on our genetic traits. But I don't really agree with her. I believe that our purpose is to love. The world, each other, ourselves. Love and kindness can't spread unless it comes from us first- we need to love ourselves to be able to love others. The world would be a better place if we all just had a little love and a little kindness. Just one small act can change someone's life, and then they, too, will spread a little kindness, and so on and so forth, until, everyone can say that they experienced an act of kindness.
During the Holocaust, Hitler was nothing but a coward. All he did was hide behind his Nazi regime and thought that he could rule the world. He set about killing people on a whim. He cared little (benefit of the doubt....probably not even at all) for the well-being of his countrymen, or the Jews that he killed in those horrible concentration camps. He even committed suicide before the end of the war and ordered a 'friend' to burn his body and his wife-Eva Braun's- so that they couldn't be used for propaganda. What a coward. He didn't want to face prosecution so he took his own life after killing his wife. There are so many people out in our world like that, and I pity them. If anyone showed them a little kindness, perhaps there wouldn't be so much crime and loss.
I know, now, why Erika wanted Daniel and Rosa to live for love. Because love overcomes boundaries, it crosses borders, it heals the wounded, and frees the soul. Although I am not very religious, this, I think, is my favorite quote:
And that is true. For me, for you, and for the entire world. Love is stronger than anything on earth. I guess that I'm a bit of a romantic, but aren't there enough stories out there that tell us so?
"Don't pity the dead, Harry, pity the living. And above all, those who live without love"~Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter Series, written by J.K. Rowling
Love makes the world go around, and I guess that's what I've been trying to say this entire time. I just used many words to get there, but the simplest words to say are the words that are inside all of us. We say them to our family, close friends, the people that we feel we want to spend the rest of our lives with. Three simple words that hold a whole lot of meaning, and can be transferred into every language there is:
Te amo -Spanish
Ich liebe dich -German
Ti amo -Italian
Je t'aime -French
أحبك - Arabic
من تو را دوست دارم -Persian
당신을 사랑합니다 - Korean
ik hou van je -Dutch
jag älskar dig -Swedish
நான் உன்னை காதலிக்குறேன் - Tamil
seni seviyorum -Turkish
我爱你 -Chinese
I love you -English
I leave you with a bit of parting advice: Don't forget to tell your parents, your siblings,your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, step-siblings, anyone in your family that you love them. It will mean the world to them, and to you, and you might not get that chance to let them know how you feel, because life happens, and some people that you love the most can leave, and you might never get to tell them even though you really want to. So take this chance, and tell them how you feel, because it makes the world better. Starting with you.
Love, friendship, mistakes (really anything that proves that we have a heart and care) are what make us human. And we should be proud of that. That's what makes us unique as a species. We're all different, and we should love ourselves for it- not discriminate against it.
~Rey Black
Ahhhh... I love reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh... I love reading your blog.
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