Posts tagged humanity
memory part 1: 65 years ago
Aug 20th
So. This is about amnesia.
Or lack of long term memory.
Look.
We Americans certainly have a pattern of historical amnesia on occasion.
And the day I am going to refer to edges upon an amnesia moment.
VJ Day.
Huh?
Known most for this picture to the right.
VJ Day is the day that Japan officially surrendered to the US and ended World War 2.
Of course everyone has seen the picture but if you think about it (beyond the obvious joy of two people – regardless of whether it was staged or not) it is a peek into a world none of my generation knows.
A world that believed total victory was possible. A world that said large sacrifices needed to be made to gain large things (democracy, freedom … stuff like that). A world that said you made hard decisions that often in retrospect may look not as black & white as you would like but in the moment achieved what needed to be achieved.
The Cold War (a 50 year silent war) was on the horizon.
This is a world difficult for any of my age group or younger can fathom.
It was on August 14th in 1945 that Americans were greeted with a two-word newsflash, “Japan Surrenders” World War II was over.
(note: it was August 15th in Japan, but, because of time zone differences, it was August 14th in the US.)
Most of us greeted the VJ Saturday as a day away from the office. Just a weekend day that gave us an opportunity to spend time with family, to shop or just relax.
It should have been a big day for remembrance.
August 14th marked the end of a conflict that claimed more human lives than any in history.
Many people believe that WWII ended with the dropping of the two A-Bombs on Hiroshima on August 6th and Nagasaki on August 9th but the Japanese did not immediately surrender after these attacks. In fact, there were Japanese rebels who wished to prolong the war
All Americans should take time to remember days like V-J Day and remember the men and women who fought to preserve the precious freedoms we almost lost.
War brought America together. Our military and citizens performed heroically, sacrificing on the home front as well as in combat. Political and personal disagreements were set aside. Output from our factories soared as the country became the arsenal of democracy in this global conflict. Americans united and labored as one, working toward a single goal: victory against the forces of totalitarianism and racist ideologies.
Victory would come, but it was hard won. On May 8, 1945, Germany capitulated. Then, following the atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered on august 14th.
There is urgency to addressing our historical amnesia. WWII veterans are dying at the rate of 800 a day, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This year there are 1,981,216 surviving veterans in the USA. In 2020 there will only be 269,721. Those who experienced V-J Day are leaving us.
Nowadays, it seems VJ Day celebrations are muted mostly because as we look in retrospect we tie the end of the war with the Air Force B29s, Enola Gay and Bockscar, dropping Little Boy and Fat Man, the atomic bombs on the essentially civilian targets of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombs killing over 200,000 people, including many women and children.
My opinion?
Muted celebrations.
What’s done is done and don’t think for a moment that the Japanese wouldn’t have dropped a couple on the Allies (Americans and/or America) if they had them.
War is an ugly. And WW2 was all that. But one cannot suggest that the Allies should have sacrificed hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of their own troops in an invasion of Japan in order to spare Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
But. War is about winning (within a morality structure) with the least expenditure of your own soldiers and people. Period.
Oh. I would also like to point out, even without an atomic bomb, the Japanese managed to kill more innocent Chinese civilians at Nanking alone than the two atomic bombs together.
Historical amnesia.
Now. Historical amnesia is a scary thing. Because in generations and cycles and recurring actions (recurring mistakes) and memories it means we forget. And if we forget it means we are more likely to do again. Sound silly when you talk about something like a war the size of World War 2? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm … not really.
At the end I have some casualty graphs.
I sometimes believe World War 2 is becoming just a phrase.
As time goes by the true extent of that conflict (versus say a 9/11 which admittedly did happen on our home land which WW2 did not) is stunning in comparison. It may not be fair to compare 3000 to 1 million but numbers are numbers are numbers.
And if we do not remind ourselves of things like this on occasion we are doomed to make similar mistakes in the future and allow it to happen all over again.
Why? Because, of course, it could never happen to us (or so we say to ourselves).
Anyway.
Thus, while we may be a forward-looking people, I encourage all Americans to pause and reflect on the sacrifice of the Hero generation. The GI generation.
Remember V-J Day. Remember all remembrance days of World War 2 and the Korean War.
Seek out a GI veteran (heck. any veteran actually) and thank him or her.
They really did change the world.
To end this.
Some historical numbers to remember. Many many people took part in World War 2 and sacrificed a lot for us to be living the lives we lead today.
And we shouldn’t forget what they did … for us.
Sometimes the Littlest Things Can Make the Biggest Difference
Feb 11th
Sometimes we invest so much energy into trying to find something big to make a big impact when something very little can create a big impact. Ok. What do I mean?
Let me use two organizations I think very highly of and wish they were doing better:
- Girl Scouts
- Boy Scouts
Let me begin by saying my sister was a Girl Scout (and I don’t hold that against her or the girl scouts) and I beat up Boy Scouts (and I am hoping they don’t hold that against me). It was right for her and maybe not so right for me. But. I believe the organizations are very right for younger generations. Particularly for the current generation and the next generation (which I call the Global generation). The values and responsibility teachings they share are invaluable to creating a foundation for responsible humanity. In addition, while some things may seem archaic in their teachings, they create a nuts & bolts type timelessness of practical life (which is something I believe is often underrated in this world of “we need to stay ahead of the curve”). I guess what I mean by that is maybe showing youth what was behind the curve may be helpful in life. But, hey, that’s me.
Anyway. Both these organizations seem trapped in an outdated image. Perceptionwise not appearing relevant. (note: I use perceptionwise because I believe in reality if you took the time to look inside, many of the things they share are quite relevant)
But I believe some little things could help make a big impact on perceptions.
For example. Boy Scouts who would love to communicate they are not ‘lily white’ and are all inclusive could use the current words in their vision statement (meaning I am not trying to change who they are and what they stand for) and simply communicate those same words in a different style. Say graffiti.
Says the same thing they have always been saying but also says so many other things. Little change. And imagine LL Cool J, a boy scout, standing in front of these words talking about the Boy Scouts. I can almost guarantee people would not only be thinking about the Boy Scouts but they would be starting to think about them in a different way.
And how about the Girl Scouts? How do we show they are inclusive and relevant? How about the “new green.”
Young girls, and den mothers or whatever they are called, with green fingernail polish, green eye shadow, green streaks in their hair, whatever … you get the idea. The green becomes a badge for cool, relevant inclusiveness … and the fact the organization is open to things other than add-a-beads (I think that’s what they are called) and pleated skirts (gosh. I am hoping there are not cool again). Once again this is using little things to create the response you are looking for.
Is this big? Nope. It is something little. But makes some big strides in moving both organizations in the direction they want to go.
I would kill to help both of these organizations. I believe in what they are all about and the intent behind their vision. I am probably a little liberal for their tastes but I believe what makes any good liberal a great liberal is a foundation of some good ole conservative responsibility and values. Anyway. The point of this isn’t ‘being liberal’ or conservative, it is that little things can make a pretty darn big impact.
The Complexities of Conscience: Knowing what to do
Feb 3rd
So. I had lunch with a high school friend I hadn’t seen for over 25 years (and it was a lot of fun) and she mentioned one of the guys in our high school had produced the documentary “Darfur Now.”
It is a documentary about the atrocities in Darfur, the westernmost region of Sudan. It poses a fundamental question: How do you respond to an event such as a government-sponsored mass murder of part of a country’s civilian population?
The United Nations has estimated that by 2007, 200,000 people had been killed and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur.
The truly heartbreaking documentary takeaway is that “You see that kids really are just kids.” And there is an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.
In the movie, the official voice of the Sudanese government belongs to Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations, who scoffs at the notion of a genocidal campaign against the people of Darfur. The conflict is an internal matter, he insists, and has to do with the apportioning of scarce resources.
Sudan has refused to comply with the International Criminal Court’s recent arrest warrants for Ahmad Harun, Sudan’s minister of the interior, and Ali Kushayb, a leader of the Janjaweed militias, for crimes against humanity.
I guess I share all of this because in my own little world this is an unacceptable action against humanity.
But I honestly don’t know what to do about it.
Does America send troops?
Does America shirk responsibility and pass it along to UN?
Is it even our role to take care of this?
I wrestle with this. And I could argue both sides. In the end I land on, if we don’t do it who will? Sort of like if I see a crime happening across the street (like a child being beaten by thugs) and I have the power to do something and I don’t, am I not complicit to the crime?
Maybe more importantly to me as a person as I think about this:
How would I be able to go to sleep that night if I did nothing?
Darfur is a horrendous example of what is happening outside our borders but it makes you start thinking. Like. You wonder if things like the holocaust wouldn’t have happened if more people had stood up and done the right thing. In the end I guess we also have to wonder what we would have done in that situation. It is difficult when you talk about theoretical life versus real life. Unfortunately, Darfur is real life. The here and now.
Anyway. It is sometimes easy to ignore these types of things happening outside our borders.
Out of sight out of mind
It is very easy even in the age of YouTube and cellular images to just not see what is happening elsewhere.
Because we have our own problems.
Recession. (And all the stuff that comes with it).
Our soldiers dying in Afghanistan (and do we want to send more somewhere else)
Maybe worse is ignorance. Where is Darfur? Does it really matter? And, of course, our overall perceptions of undeveloped African countries.
If we haven’t been there it is often easy to think of some of these places like horse and buggy countries. Absolutely some of these places have rural areas with spotty technology and living support (we forget how large some of these places are geographically because maps kind of lie with regard to size and stuff).
So. In the end I have no answers just questions. However. I do have a suggestion even more important than watching Darfur Now. A way to give yourself real perspective.
How can you gain perspective? Oh. It’s easy. Evil shows its price tag. Read the rest of this entry »
Remembering Martin Luther King
Jan 21st
I think what I respected most about Martin Luther King was that he was an imperfect man with a perfect vision for civil rights and humanity.
First. While MLK is tied very tightly to the rights of African Americans, I believe he would like to also be noted for his own “color blindness” and his leadership on civil rights – for all. The fact he stood tall against persecution of any person regardless of color of skin or ethnicity. I believe had he lived he was destined for UN ambassador or even UN Secretary General fighting for freedom of choice everywhere.
Second. That said. MLK day is a day celebrated in the US and a very special day to African Americans. I too celebrate the day and the memory of everything MLK fought for and the fight still going on today. I believe no white person can ever truly understand the depth of the persecution African Americans faced and what MLK stands for. Maybe I am naïve but I just don’t think it possible.
There is an absolutely wonderful episode of Boston Public which took this issue head on (whether white people have the right to discuss the “N” word and slavery). And while every bone in my body strains to have the depth of understanding and I am (or at least believe and hope I am) as color blind as any white person could be, I don’t think it’s possible to truly understand unless you are an African American. Oh. And I believe white people who claim to understand are naïve.
That does not mean I won’t try and better myself nor try every time I can to get closer to understanding every chance I get.
So. With all that said. I would like to leave this post with some of the words of “Shed a Little Light” a wonderful song written by James Taylor:
Let us turn our thoughts today
To martin luther king
And recognize that there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood
That we are bound together
In our desire to see the world become
A place in which our children
Can grow free and strong
We are bound together
By the task that stands before us
And the road that lies ahead
We are bound and we are bound
