Holocaust essay 2008- Really this time!

Alright, I've decided that I can't trust my little link so I'm just going to post the entire essay one here. It's long, SO you don't have to read the whole thing now.



“.... in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
Anne Frank


IS it really necessary to remember the holocaust? Does it affect me? It could never happen again, could it? Can I really change anything? These seem like very good questions. What are the answers? Simply, Yes! It is necessary to remember the holocaust, what we know about it changes everything. More importantly, what we decide to do about it will have a tremendous effect in our own lives and the lives of others. Yes, we do need to remember the Holocaust!


- Corrie ten Boom put it well when she said “…memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.” The Holocaust was horrifying. What exactly was it? Why was it horrifying? Well, if you look at the word holocaust, you get the main idea.


“If one looked in the dictionary, he/she would see that the definition of the word holocaust reads along the line of "complete destruction, usually by fire." Some dictionaries also include in their definition references to a sacrifice and/or loss of life.” (Sean Warsch.)
Think about the people you love, picture them in your mind. Do you see them? Now picture them starving, unclothed, near to death, uttering this prayer, or one similar to it: “Pray, Lord pray to us we are near.” (Paul Celan)
This is the prayer of someone with no hope left, but for that which is beyond this world. It is the prayer of someone clinging to the last bit of reason in order to go on faithfully. One can only imagine the despair and longing that would drive people to be thankful for bed fleas that kept Nazi guards at a distance; or the hunger which compels someone to be infinitely grateful for a small loaf of black bread. Imagine them longing so much for comfort that they’d risk their life for a few pages of a Bible. We can not fathom the terrifying atmosphere that forces a human being to act like an animal for the chance at living in a place that is almost impossible to survive. Just imagine watching the people you love suffer and hearing their screams:


“…all day long and often into the night, came the sounds of hell itself. They were not the sounds of anger, or of any human emotion, but of cruelty altogether detached: blows landing in a regular rhythm, screams keeping pace. We would stand in our ten-deep ranks with our hands trembling at our sides, longing to jam them against our ears, to make the sound stop.”(Corrie ten Boom)

Nazi ideas spread rapidly, like a black disease that poisoned those it came in contact with, and rarely left without causing some damage. Even though such an awful event may seem distant and next to impossible, the problems that started the Holocaust are not uncommon today. It can be hard to imagine that so many people could be part of such an atrocity as was the Holocaust, but the sad reality is, it did happen. We see the same evil often in our world today, as it covers news headlines daily. The evils that we see can be summed up in just a few words: misunderstanding, selfishness, hate, and violence.

We all want essentially the same things in life: freedom, success, and happiness. Unfortunately, in our egocentricity we sometimes decide to get those things in our own way. We forget that there are other people with whom we share the world. We live in an interdependent world, so we need to be an interdependent people. We need to realize that our way is not the only way, and that our ideas are not always right. We may see the world one way, but that does not mean that that’s the only way it is, or the only way to see it. We need to remember that “people see the world, not as it is, but as they are.” (Stephen Covey)

The Holocaust started because there were people who thought that they had the right idea of the world, and that it needed to be changed. They decided it was their right and duty to make those changes in their own way. And that is what they did, destroying millions of lives and dreams in the process. If you look at some of the things the Nazi’s said, I think it can be determined what they were thinking. They really believed in what they were doing as it was ingrained in them as a natural way of thinking. Here is a look into some Nazi thoughts:

“Hitler is lonely, So is God. Hitler is like God.”
(Reichminister Hans Frank)

“Look at a marching troop of German youths and realize what God has made them for. They are warriors by nature and their calling is to rule”.
(Walter Stapel)


The Holocaust happened once, it can happen again, and I believe it probably will. No one knows how bad it will be the next time. If we want to prevent it, we need to avoid the things that caused it.

How do we prevent another Holocaust?

Speak out! Let others know that you accept and value people for their differences. Spread the idea that patience and love are greater than selfishness and hate. Differences are a good thing! “If two people have the same opinion, one is unnecessary.” (Stephen Covey) When we cooperate and live with those who have different views, we all learn to be better, and our world is better. We should like people for their differences. Don’t let the “I see it the way it is” thinking spread. There is enough in the world for every one of us to live happily together. Be open to different ways of thinking.

Speak out when you see something that you know isn’t right, to parents, friends, and public leaders. We have the right, the privilege, and the responsibility to make ourselves heard. Sometimes it may seem like there is too much to go up against, but not so! People who are trying to make wrong things right are not more numerous, or even stronger. They are simply louder and make themselves heard. Speak out! Share the ideas that prevent prejudice, selfishness and violence. Let people know that they are not the only ones with ideas to make the world better. You don’t have to sit silently on the sidelines. Write essays, talk to people about it, learn about what’s going on in the world, and decide what you can do to make a difference for the better.

It’s not always wrong to stand up and defend. It’s not always right to give up and let a good cause die in the name of peace. We can’t have true peace when we know that things are not as they should be. Freedom and harmony come at a high price. It may not be easy, in fact it will be hard. But it will be worth it, for we can not sit idly on.

"You did not murder,
but looked on, you,
who could have been changed into light."
(William Heyen)