Never Forget
“We will never forget.” We’ve all said it. My parents said it about Pearl Harbor in 1941. Their parents said it about Armistice Day in 1918. As a teenager I also said it about the Kennedy assassination. The problem is that events that happened before we were born are not remembered. Oh, we learn about them in school and memorize the important dates and names long enough to pass a test and then we move on.
I remember as a child my father would talk about the Great Depression and WWII, events that had a huge impact on his life, but barely budged the needle in mine. He became frustrated and angry because I just didn’t get it.
I understand his reaction now. I’m the patriarch of a sprawling family and I have adult grandchildren who don’t remember 9/11. It happened 22 years ago and for someone in their early twenties there is no personal recollection. And if there is then it’s a very dim memory. When I speak with my young students about their American History classes it seems odd to me that these abstract names, places, and dates that they are learning are a part of my life and had some influence on the man I became. Younger generations visiting the Viet Nam Memorial don’t totally understand why their grandfathers weep when reading the names. I remember seeing the Iwo Jima memorial with my father and watching him get lost in his memories.
I don’t think that “fortunately” is the proper word, but I’m grateful that we have images to rely on. From Matthew Brady’s primitive photos of the Civil War to recent news videos, we have captured the memories that would have otherwise been lost. However they can only provide a foggy reflection of the emotions that those people felt as the news reached them. The denial, the disbelief, the horror of acceptance, and the unsettling concern of “what’s next”. Those questions have been resolved by the time the history books are written.
“Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” Historically speaking we do forget. Currently there are those who are convinced that everyone should live by the rules that they live by and are willing to use violence to achieve that purpose. Others are greedy and willing to subjugate entire populations to enrich themselves. The worst part is that they have convinced themselves, and their followers, that they are the righteous ones and therefore entitled to do these things. Most of the political and economic disasters of the past has been caused by just a few of these people and a handful of their friends.
Civilizations come and go but human behavior remains fairly constant. Most people just want a life with the assurance of food, shelter, and peace. In the U.S. we call it “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. The wording is different in other cultures but the meaning remains the same. But there always seems to be someone determined to keep it from happening. In order to try and prevent them from doing it we must do more than “never forget”. We need to actively remember.
