Just like many other families, mine is slowly gearing up for the winter months. The winter schedule will bring with it long clinic days, university lectures, frustrating road trips to and from work and specifically for us the opening of Parliament. Indeed, the warm cosy nights thrilled and entertained by those hotly debated national issues are always a must in my family! As I anticipate yet another change in our ever moving and busy lives I cannot help reminisce over our summer frivolousness. First came the village festas.
Typically for us, the village festas have been for many years a regular commitment on our calendar. I have come to anticipate this time of year with pleasure as much of our summer revolves around these religious activities. Most importantly for me, the village festa is a symbol of tradition, of life and of humanity lived in its entirely particular way. For better or for worse, I perceive the village festas as a way in which our stories as a Maltese nation are kept alive. It is a narrative of our people. Thus I am always privileged by the encounters and stories of the people, so many of whom allow me into their world, their homes, their families, their thoughts and their hearts. I am privileged and always enriched by the people’s sharing of the joys and sorrow in their lives. Each person has a unique story, a tale that often spells many years of struggles and triumphs and of battles to survive all the odds. These are the very human stories that make up our society.
Our summer this year took us beyond the village festas with a much-anticipated family trip to Poland. This trip was marked by many important events, which tested our resilience both as individuals and as a family! We were greeted from the outset by car problems, sweltering heat and the necessity to adjust to long car rides. Now with the four of us having very different and lively personalities this was a welcome test of endurance! The most deeply disturbing aspect of this venture was certainly, Auschwitz.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi German concentration and death camp between 1940 and 1945. Situated in Oswiecim (Poland), it is thought to represent the best-known place of martyrdom and destruction in the World. It is the ultimate symbol of the violation of basic human rights, of xenophobia, and of intolerance. This is where our ancestors performed, witnessed and experienced the darkest of human activities. Auschwitz is a living monument of the total “breakdown of contemporary civilisation and culture”. Over one million men, women and children were murdered within its grounds, their major crime being that of getting caught up in the wake of Adolph Hitler’s cry for ethnic cleansing. Hitler’s distorted mind took him on a mission to rid the world from Marxism, democracy and the Jews.
As our guide walked us through the cold brick structures and dusty Auschwitz terrain, the ghosts from the past were re-awakened. We all struggled for air. This was the home of so many unfortunate men, women and children about to embark unknowingly on their final journey. Deep reflection and heartbreak was inevitable for us all, as the final moments of these brave souls came to life. So many haggard faces, with broken eyes and broken smiles passed through the gates of Auschwitz. The emotions that flooded my heart and clouded my mind weighed me down. I admit that I could not hold back the tears as we walked through the last remaining gas chamber. I touched the cold stone walls and wondered about the many warm hands that held onto the walls as the warmth of life and the last beatings of the heart were sucked away. How could humanity bear such atrocities? As the images of Auschwitz slowly fade away, I keep wondering to this day, how human beings can be so inhuman to each other. How can so much evil overcome reason and goodness? I want to believe so hard that human nature is good; I want to believe that reason can meet passion to spread kindness and conviction in solid values such as justice, solidarity, respect and tolerance. My thoughts shift to the continual struggle of human survival. I think about the struggles in Syria and about Pope Francis’ continual plea to respect human dignity and to safeguard peace through dialogue. I think about all the mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who have lost their lives battling the wrath of the Mediterranean Sea in their quest for a better future. I think about each man, woman and child I have encountered along my life’s journey who constantly struggle through the harshness of daily life. This reality is all around us. The eminent analytic psychologist Carl Jung wrote, “It would be so much simpler if I knew nothing; but I know too much, through my ancestors and my own education”. These words echo in my heart. Yes, perhaps we do know too much and we choose to shut our hearts and minds because it is truly too painful.
Joe and I are always humbled by this reality and often share our thoughts. I am always saddened by the thought that I myself may have caused pain, embarrassment or suffering to another human being by my actions or lack of them. We may have caused such suffering by our indifference, our fears, and our detachment and by using our heads more than our hearts. This is where each one of us can challenge that writing by George Santayana that welcomed us in Auschwitz which stated, “The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.”
I wonder and hope that perhaps it is possible for us to bring back the values that have been lost along the journeys in time. Perhaps the struggles of the people shared with us during the village festas, the atrocities in Auschwitz, the suffering in Syria and the lives lost at sea by the crossings of those hopeful souls from North Africa, are not in vain. Perhaps the ultimate values of respect for self and others, lack of prejudice, acceptance, freedom, solidarity, tolerance and many more noble values can be achieved. Perhaps we can embark on a growth path which sees us move through a human journey of self-discovery and fulfilment. We thrive on the false belief that major changes in attitude, beliefs, thoughts and feelings come about through impossible tasks. Indeed, revolutions start off with little changes. We can each contribute in our own way to the story of mankind as we write our destinies and consequently that of our humanity. A kind word, a listening ear, a tolerant attitude and an act of kindness, these are all tiny deeds that can help us fight the war of goodness. Let us all look ahead with hope. I eagerly anticipate a warmer winter!