Two minutes

[gerbie]

Every year on the 4th of may, 8 o'clock in the evening, in the Netherlands we remember the deaths fallen in all wars, a tradition started after WW II. The two minutes of silence always impressed me as a little boy, when I had no idea what a war was, apart from the fact that a lot of good books had been written about it.

Now I am a bit older. I still haven't experienced a war, but I have read enough to understand a bit. I have to spoken to many refugees who only start to describe the atrocities after many years and after they have learned to trust you or anyone at all.

This picture taken by one of my students last week in one of the barracks of the former concentration camp Sachsenhausen, near Oranienburg on the outskirts of Berlin, tells us about a non-existing silence in a camp. So therefore in just over half an hour I will be silent for 2 minutes again. Like every year. Because I can. Because it is just a small thing to do. Because even if it doesn't actually help to get rid of war, it might make some people think about it.

Comments

[1000hugs.livejournal.com]

reading this gave me goosebumps. here in Russia we celebrate victory day on may 9th. we don't have minutes of silence, but several years ago one organization started a tradition of giving people free black-orange striped ribbons (the kind that went with a certain WWII medal) to tie to their car antenna or purse, or belt loop, or whatever. it's our way of saying that we remember and to express gratitude.
I just felt like sharing... You can delete the comment if you want.

[gerbie.livejournal.com]

Delete why? I am glad you replied. Am even gladder you add your own bit, as long as people are sharing their thoughts, the world is a nice place. As soon as they start deleting comments, argue over whose way of remembrance is the best or which war was worst, things start going in the wrong direction. We'll end up as Darwinian monsters again. So, thanx for your comment, it gives me hope!