I recently attended an amazing symposium, on genocide and the Holocaust. The high school students and their teachers in attendance were clearly inspired. You may be saying, "What a morbid topic. How could that be amazing or inspiring?"
Richard Evans tells us that "It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars." The skies of humanity are never darker than when crimes are committed against the innocent; in interacting with several of those innocents, I have encountered some of the brightest stars I have ever seen. Three child survivors of the Holocaust spoke at the symposium, and all of them live life at the highest level. They do this because they have to. In overcoming the trauma of their horrific childhood memories, they have found strength in each other and have found meaning by telling their stories to our youth. They know that in doing so, they are honouring the memory of lost friends and family members, and are laying a groundwork to make "never again" a reality. I could not help but be inspired.
The keynote speaker at the symposium was a genocide scholar. He told his audience what genocide is, where it has occurred and where it is occurring. Most importantly, he told us that much can be done to make "never again" a reality, and that each of us has a part to play in bringing this about. He quoted the great tennis player Arthur Ashe, "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
I felt challenged, humbled and inspired by this message. I am inspired by the people who have suffered genocide. Their loss meant something. Today, living or dead, they are so much more powerful than the people who made them suffer. As an educator, I have a role leading future generations, and I know that I must do all that I can to promote genocide education. Over the course of the seminar, I shared a genocide course I have developed over the last several years with teachers from other schools. I also met with government officials to tell them that we need this course to be officially recognized by the Ministry of Education. Everyone was very receptive, and this is the part that humbled me. I am playing a small part in a much larger mission, I am simply the carrier of a message that is much bigger than me. I am simply starting where I am, using what I have, and doing what I can.
The symposium that I attended is available on-line. Simply go to http://www.livestream.com/shawnigan
The world is really changing for the better. Think of where the world was 70 years ago and where we are today. Be part of that change. "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
