Child's drawing in Terezin: From the Jewish Museum in Prague
The Butterfly
"The Butterfly"- The last, the very last,
- So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.
- Perhaps if the sun's tears would sing
- against a white stone. . . .
- Such, such a yellow
- Is carried lightly 'way up high.
- It went away I'm sure because it wished to
- kiss the world good-bye.
- For seven weeks I've lived in here,
- Penned up inside this ghetto.
- But I have found what I love here.
- The dandelions call to me
- And the white chestnut branches in the court.
- Only I never saw another butterfly.
- That butterfly was the last one.
- Butterflies don't live in here,
- in the ghetto.
The Christians are wrong. And considering the fact that the present Pope was a member of the Hitler youth and that the Catholic church played an ignominious role during the war, that institution is deeply tainted with the crime of the holocaust and continues to be so.
There can be no forgiveness, there can only be hatred for the people who committed the atrocities against the Jewish people in World War II. We should feel and act on a deep, undying, undiminishing and fatal hatred - perpetual enemity - towards all those who are in any way sympathetic to the German fascists and their apologists.
The Nazi's count on the non-existence of God and fear no retribution in the afterlife, but they have their modern day beneficiaries and heirs and friends.
The anger we feel against the Nazis, is as powerful as it ever was, shouted from the windows, should be turned on them. The relatives of 6 million jews are many. The relatives of all the people who were killed by the fascists number millions and millions. Any of us who read our history and discover our personal histories must learn to hate.
This anger and energy should focus itself on the modern day fascists and racists and the kind of people in big business who support criminal dictatorships and kill directly or indirectly for profit.
The heirs of the Nazis are many. The heirs of the Nazis and their heirs are many. The fight against fascism continues.
The BNP and the European Neo Nazis. should be the focus of our hatred, they should be the first targets of our retribution. In very possible legitimate and allowable way.
That is such a dangerous thought, Phil. Certainly there should be no forgiveness, but hatred is fuel to the fire. They do not care if you hate them, in fact they enjoy and consume your hatred, amplify, regiment and use it. They do not like to be pitied however. Pity them their ignorance and stupidity and work cold and calculating to dismantle their organisation.
ReplyDeleteIn a sense I agree. But isn't there something more radical and dynamic in hatred? It is a dangerous thought. But it is the thought that motivated the maquis to fight against the Nazis isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHow can you ask victims of genocide to forgive the people who conducted the genocide? Is it the duty of these people to forgive? Is it the duty of the children or the children's children etc to forgive.
The word anger is interchangeable with the word hatred.
Now I teach someone at the moment who is quite friendly to me. He used to be a Baathist intellgence officer in Iraq. He seems like a nice person. He's a bit self pitying though.
So I asked him. You must have done a lot of things that trouble you. His answer is to Pause and say "No, no."
Now I am sure that there are people who would cheerfully do him a lot of harm. Who would not forget. Iraqis.
I don't hat him, not because I am a great person, but simply because my imagination fails me.
So if I were able to cast myself back in time and if I could relive the suffering of Terezin then I would not forgive and I would not forget. And I would hate.
ReplyDeleteTo hate you need imagination.