Robert&letters -Gloria

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/12/00 9:27:16 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

glee writes:

 

<< . What is most

difficult is to find a way of understanding evil that does not merely

whitewash

or minimize the harm it does or pretends it does not happen. I know this may

be

an unpleasant topic for many. I am not wanting to say now let's make Hitler,

or

the Germans, become the scapegoat and symbol of evil that they made of the

Jewish people. That is merely repeating it by turning the tables, only more

projection, as you pointed out. Actually, the whole beauty of the message of

these children's poems was how they made a joyous affirmation of life even in

those circumstances. It somehow became a joyous experience to sing them. Love

for the children became a love of sharing their words to us.

> >>

 

Hi Gloria,

l just wanted to say how much l've been been struck by this and other

posts you've written about your impressions from Terezin. l relate so

strongly to the way this has moved you, and you've expressed yourself so

beautifully throughout all of this, including your comments on what we've

called evil, for lack of a better term. lt's a delicate balance, isn't it, in

which we neither minimize enormous misdeeds and suffering caused by hatred,

yet neither do we become haters ourselves, projecting onto others. Here l go

repeating needlessly what you've already said so well ...

This seems to

be a time for confessions, so l have to confess l missed alot of the Terezin

thread. l'm over-extended on 3 lists, and traffic on this one's been so heavy

that l don't catch everything -- so l only got parts here and there. (l'm

going to go to the digest to see what l missed.) l didn't realize what an

extraordinary thing this was - and what l was missing - until late in the

game. So when you spoke about people not responding to your posts on this, a

shiver went through me.

But l do think l know what you've been

feeling. l've done alot of inner work with the holocaust. lt never leaves my

consciousness. And l can feel its spirit alive in your writings. You know, of

all the countless things l've seen done on it, none ever moved me more than

some of the renderings l've seen of the Anne Frank diary -- just one young

girl's story, yet it said everything to me: the contrast and heartwrenching

sorrow of her lost love, innocence and beauty. The sanctity of just one

child's life. l'm feeling tears now, just at the thought of it... of all the

stories we know of criminal brutality in the history of this planet, l'll

never be able to fathom how anyone can systematically murder children. lt's

the death of a child that l struggle with most. But maybe it's the beauty of

a child that enables us to cope with it.

Thank you for

this, Gloria.

 

love,

jerry