Absolutely, Lisa! I, too, believe that education is the key to understanding the world’s horrible and glorious past
and we should heed and embrace its messages, but sometimes opening book and opening minds is not happening in American homes. Our biggest battle is battling ignorance!
To Lisa and Roberta: At 77, I remain an optimist, and I'd like to think, also a realist. I don't think we're doomed. We may lose our republic, though, unless we fight back against the systematic fascism represented by Trump's sponsors and enablers. Trump is just their public face. There will always be people well educated in history and civics who have been taught or individually developed critical thinking skills. The trick will be to see that that knowledge and those skills are coupled with the proper values, such as those espoused in our Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to our Constitution.
Opening books is the key to opening minds in the battle against ignorance. The emergence of internet technology has impeded that process. I see it happening in my own case. I spend much more time online and read many fewer books than I once did. I often wonder whether that is a psychosomatic issue, not just a choice. Do our media choices produce physical effects?
Hi James, I feel that we need to have more conversation about how social media is affecting us, personally and collectively. I feel the affects, too.
There is an excellent documentary on Netflix called 'The Social Dilemma'. It was instrumental in helping me to understand the impact of social media algorithms. I found it to be startling, especially about how it is targeted to control our attention, based on the information that is constantly collected about each of us. One of my biggest concerns about this rising Fascist movement is the use of cyber warfare. We need more education about this.
I'm not assuming that you're unaware of how social media algorithms are programmed, but I'm posting a little bit of information about the documentary. (Also, I hope there will be backlash in the future about what social media programmers are doing to people, especially the youth, many who are so addicted to their phones that they're missing out on their precious lives.)
About the documentary: "The dilemma: Never before have a handful of tech designers had such control over the way billions of us think, act, and live our lives....We tweet, we like, and we share— but what are the consequences of our growing dependence on social media? This documentary-drama hybrid reveals how social media is reprogramming civilization with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations."
Thank you for the link, Lisa. It may not be possible to underestimate my knowledge of social media, but I've heard quite a bit about algorithms from other sources Besides, I've learned that even if people do underestimate your knowledge, you might be able to learn something from them that you didn't know before. My son got me on to Facebook a while back, but my account was hacked a couple of years ago and I never went back. And I've never committed Twitter, preferring to count-to-ten before sounding off.
James, I appreciate your approach to knowledge and learning. About social media, I don't use any; but I do get caught by youtube algorithms quite often. Years ago I tried Facebook and some people I once knew wanted to be my 'friend' (like a not close acquaintance from high school) and I could feel that this was off. Also, there were people popping up I most certainly didn't want to know anymore, so I got creeped out and dropped the whole thing a few years ago. This was before I understood algorithms. They had me for a few weeks!
Yes, Carol, what you're saying is exactly why I'm so pleased that Steve Schmidt is educating from Poland! Right now we need to exponentially speed up the education on the subjects you wrote about in your first comment. I feel strong about Steve's shorter "The Warning" youtube videos as an educational tool/format to punch through ignorance. (Script's news, too) It is only a matter of time before they go viral. There is so much work to do!
We can turn off Google feed. I did, and nothing comes up. Even though "they" see everything, we can opt out. I still read books and go to the library. "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" by Shoshana Zuboff is exceptional. I see she is in the trailer for "The Social Dilemma" and I may finally get Netflix.
We must never forget. The photos reveal so much, it's both inspiring and disturbing.
Poland has welcomed many Ukrainian refugees and committed other aid as well- clearly, they get it. Our GOP won't do anything because too many are owned by Putin/Trump & Co., it's a sin if not a crime.
Happy Easter everyone, and let's be not afraid too.
A poignant, beautiful and admonitory post, Steve. I immediately thought of that profound and instructive quote from the great American writer William Faulkner: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
It's easy to say " be not afraid ". I am afraid . I was born in 1943 Germany and even at an early age remember the devastation around me. Nothing but rubble , hunger, fear and despair. I studied the history that brought us to WWII and see the signs. I get more than angry when I see DJT and his followers in Washington talk about abandoning Ukraine and NATO . The danger in that is unthinkable. It seems they are either too stupid to see or totally uncaring about their constituents. Don't they realise they too will be affected by the outcome if their plan succeeds? I am tired of death and destruction and wars . My husband was a career officer with 2 tours in Vietnam, he died from the affects of Agent Orange. I feel like I have lived with war all my life and I am tired and afraid.
Steve, I found your essay poignant especially reading it after I had watched The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer’s film about the life of Auschwitz commandat Rudolf Höss and his wife who live their lives with their children in a beautiful home next to the concentration camp. The juxtaposition of Hedwig’s love for the beautiful flowers that she grows while “inheriting” the many personal effects of Jewish women awaiting their death demonstrates the depravity that permeated Hitler’s world. Your essay is testament to the spirit of the Polish people who rebuilt their country while also bearing witness to their past. Thank you for allowing us to visit Poland vicariously today and Happy Easter.
Poland is on my bucket list of places to see before I get too old to travel. I have always had a child's view of the Second World War. I watched and dreamt of fighting battles against evil. I kept those thoughts through my adolescence and up to my late teens. That is when my childhood misconception of war were challenged and changed by talking to veterans only a few years older than myself who fought and wear the scars of battle on their bodies and in their minds. Their first hand accounts sent shivers up my spine and I knew I had to grow up when I enlisted into service of our nation. Even though when I enlisted the last war of my youth had just ended, the scars and reality of the Vietnam war was still very much in my thoughts and that of the nation. The devastation to the men and women who fought that war and came home to a nation who only wanted to forget was their greatest slight. They were forgotten when they needed our support the most. Their battles were continuing in their minds and we, the people only wanted to forget, when they could not forget the savagery and destruction.
Thank you Steve, Remembrance is important not only to remember those we lost but for those who survived. Remembering leads to eventually healing and sewing up the wounds of war. Without Remembrance their is no future only past not dealt with. There can be no healing of the spirit destroyed by the evil of man. Donald Trump thinks retribution is a way forward, it is not, it is way backwards. Backwards to a primal fault in our humanity where fear lives and is dominant. It is important to remember because if we forget it becomes easier to destroy life instead of protecting life and a future for our children.
Well said, Patrick. The entire MAGA mantra harkens a backward movement, not a forward one. Make it great again clearly means only for white, heterosexual Christian males. Everyone else is "less", if not subjugated to their evil beliefs. Period. Full stop. Eff them.
The contemporary enemies of freedom use fear as a weapon. Free people must use the truth to vanquish fear. I'm looking forward to the rest of your European adventure.
Travel safely! Many thanks for sharing your sights with us. Very thought provoking comments that should make people think about our choices here for continued freedoms and democracy.
Steve, again many thanks for your powerful insights into the past! And yes, we must never forget the horrors of the 20th century! I wish you and your family a joyous Easter!!!
Let us not forget the massacre of Polish Army officers by the Russians. The evildoers are at the gates again.
The reason for the massacre, according to the historian Gerhard Weinberg, was that Stalin wanted to deprive a potential future Polish military of a large portion of its talent. The Soviet leadership, and Stalin in particular, viewed the Polish prisoners as a "problem" as they might resist being under Soviet rule.
Perhaps my disdain for the ignorant should be tempered by the fact of their ignorance. But there is no tempering of my disdain for political “leaders” who knowingly stoke the fears that are fascism’s fundamental appeal. Those who sit by in silence are no better. If we are fortunate enough to survive this era, these despicable hypocrites and their invertebrate enablers will rush to redeem themselves, and the ignorant will believe their fabrications. We must deny them success at every turn.
Look either in Cracow or Wausau for an ancient Jewish cemetery unlike any other. When you approach its not much more than an acre, you walk up a staircase to get to the level of the gravestones. Then you notice that on each grave there are 3, 4 or even 5 stones.
The Jews were restricted for a few hundred years from owning or acquiring property cemeteries included.
So when full, they added dirt on top and then buried another layer of bodies on each layer This went on for almost a century.
So the nazis didn’t have an exclusive on anti semitism in Poland and Eastern Europe, it’s been thriving forever
today jews are tolerated as long as they know “their place” but once they fight a mortal enemy the world condemns and wants them back to “their place”
I am no fan of Bibi for sure, but the majority of the outrage is anti Semitic not pro Palestinian. Unfortunately for the Palestinians they are pariahs of their Arab brethren too. Pan Jordan, Saudi’s, Syrians, Iraqis, Egyptians and others have all taken their turns at throwing them out, killing them and starving them. Now crocodile tears from these despots, it’s total bullshit from these hypocrites!
While this is all true, it must also be said that the Poles at that time were eager, willing participants in the murder of Jews. Some of my survivor relatives said they were even more violently anti-Semitic than the nazis.
How much do most Americans know about WWII and about the post-War Russian oppression of Poland? This, sadly, is part of the problem.
Without proper education in history, civics and critical thinking skills, we're doomed.
Absolutely, Lisa! I, too, believe that education is the key to understanding the world’s horrible and glorious past
and we should heed and embrace its messages, but sometimes opening book and opening minds is not happening in American homes. Our biggest battle is battling ignorance!
To Lisa and Roberta: At 77, I remain an optimist, and I'd like to think, also a realist. I don't think we're doomed. We may lose our republic, though, unless we fight back against the systematic fascism represented by Trump's sponsors and enablers. Trump is just their public face. There will always be people well educated in history and civics who have been taught or individually developed critical thinking skills. The trick will be to see that that knowledge and those skills are coupled with the proper values, such as those espoused in our Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to our Constitution.
Opening books is the key to opening minds in the battle against ignorance. The emergence of internet technology has impeded that process. I see it happening in my own case. I spend much more time online and read many fewer books than I once did. I often wonder whether that is a psychosomatic issue, not just a choice. Do our media choices produce physical effects?
I babble, but your points are well taken.
Hi James, I feel that we need to have more conversation about how social media is affecting us, personally and collectively. I feel the affects, too.
There is an excellent documentary on Netflix called 'The Social Dilemma'. It was instrumental in helping me to understand the impact of social media algorithms. I found it to be startling, especially about how it is targeted to control our attention, based on the information that is constantly collected about each of us. One of my biggest concerns about this rising Fascist movement is the use of cyber warfare. We need more education about this.
I'm not assuming that you're unaware of how social media algorithms are programmed, but I'm posting a little bit of information about the documentary. (Also, I hope there will be backlash in the future about what social media programmers are doing to people, especially the youth, many who are so addicted to their phones that they're missing out on their precious lives.)
https://www.thesocialdilemma.com
About the documentary: "The dilemma: Never before have a handful of tech designers had such control over the way billions of us think, act, and live our lives....We tweet, we like, and we share— but what are the consequences of our growing dependence on social media? This documentary-drama hybrid reveals how social media is reprogramming civilization with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations."
Thanks, I appreciate this important conversation.
Thank you for the link, Lisa. It may not be possible to underestimate my knowledge of social media, but I've heard quite a bit about algorithms from other sources Besides, I've learned that even if people do underestimate your knowledge, you might be able to learn something from them that you didn't know before. My son got me on to Facebook a while back, but my account was hacked a couple of years ago and I never went back. And I've never committed Twitter, preferring to count-to-ten before sounding off.
James, I appreciate your approach to knowledge and learning. About social media, I don't use any; but I do get caught by youtube algorithms quite often. Years ago I tried Facebook and some people I once knew wanted to be my 'friend' (like a not close acquaintance from high school) and I could feel that this was off. Also, there were people popping up I most certainly didn't want to know anymore, so I got creeped out and dropped the whole thing a few years ago. This was before I understood algorithms. They had me for a few weeks!
Yes, Carol, what you're saying is exactly why I'm so pleased that Steve Schmidt is educating from Poland! Right now we need to exponentially speed up the education on the subjects you wrote about in your first comment. I feel strong about Steve's shorter "The Warning" youtube videos as an educational tool/format to punch through ignorance. (Script's news, too) It is only a matter of time before they go viral. There is so much work to do!
We can turn off Google feed. I did, and nothing comes up. Even though "they" see everything, we can opt out. I still read books and go to the library. "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" by Shoshana Zuboff is exceptional. I see she is in the trailer for "The Social Dilemma" and I may finally get Netflix.
Hi Diane, I just ordered "The Surveillance Capitalism". Thank You!!
Thank you. Absolutely right.
Most Americans don't know about America, let alone WWII.
We must never forget. The photos reveal so much, it's both inspiring and disturbing.
Poland has welcomed many Ukrainian refugees and committed other aid as well- clearly, they get it. Our GOP won't do anything because too many are owned by Putin/Trump & Co., it's a sin if not a crime.
Happy Easter everyone, and let's be not afraid too.
A poignant, beautiful and admonitory post, Steve. I immediately thought of that profound and instructive quote from the great American writer William Faulkner: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
…thank you. Beautiful writing, powerful message.
It's easy to say " be not afraid ". I am afraid . I was born in 1943 Germany and even at an early age remember the devastation around me. Nothing but rubble , hunger, fear and despair. I studied the history that brought us to WWII and see the signs. I get more than angry when I see DJT and his followers in Washington talk about abandoning Ukraine and NATO . The danger in that is unthinkable. It seems they are either too stupid to see or totally uncaring about their constituents. Don't they realise they too will be affected by the outcome if their plan succeeds? I am tired of death and destruction and wars . My husband was a career officer with 2 tours in Vietnam, he died from the affects of Agent Orange. I feel like I have lived with war all my life and I am tired and afraid.
Steve, I found your essay poignant especially reading it after I had watched The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer’s film about the life of Auschwitz commandat Rudolf Höss and his wife who live their lives with their children in a beautiful home next to the concentration camp. The juxtaposition of Hedwig’s love for the beautiful flowers that she grows while “inheriting” the many personal effects of Jewish women awaiting their death demonstrates the depravity that permeated Hitler’s world. Your essay is testament to the spirit of the Polish people who rebuilt their country while also bearing witness to their past. Thank you for allowing us to visit Poland vicariously today and Happy Easter.
Poland is on my bucket list of places to see before I get too old to travel. I have always had a child's view of the Second World War. I watched and dreamt of fighting battles against evil. I kept those thoughts through my adolescence and up to my late teens. That is when my childhood misconception of war were challenged and changed by talking to veterans only a few years older than myself who fought and wear the scars of battle on their bodies and in their minds. Their first hand accounts sent shivers up my spine and I knew I had to grow up when I enlisted into service of our nation. Even though when I enlisted the last war of my youth had just ended, the scars and reality of the Vietnam war was still very much in my thoughts and that of the nation. The devastation to the men and women who fought that war and came home to a nation who only wanted to forget was their greatest slight. They were forgotten when they needed our support the most. Their battles were continuing in their minds and we, the people only wanted to forget, when they could not forget the savagery and destruction.
Thank you Steve, Remembrance is important not only to remember those we lost but for those who survived. Remembering leads to eventually healing and sewing up the wounds of war. Without Remembrance their is no future only past not dealt with. There can be no healing of the spirit destroyed by the evil of man. Donald Trump thinks retribution is a way forward, it is not, it is way backwards. Backwards to a primal fault in our humanity where fear lives and is dominant. It is important to remember because if we forget it becomes easier to destroy life instead of protecting life and a future for our children.
Well said, Patrick. The entire MAGA mantra harkens a backward movement, not a forward one. Make it great again clearly means only for white, heterosexual Christian males. Everyone else is "less", if not subjugated to their evil beliefs. Period. Full stop. Eff them.
White conservative heterosexual Christian males.
"Be not afraid." The only way I can manage to do this is by resolving to do my best while totally releasing any attachment to outcome. Trying.
God bless the Poles. Happy Easter everyone. Peace.
The contemporary enemies of freedom use fear as a weapon. Free people must use the truth to vanquish fear. I'm looking forward to the rest of your European adventure.
Travel safely! Many thanks for sharing your sights with us. Very thought provoking comments that should make people think about our choices here for continued freedoms and democracy.
Steve, again many thanks for your powerful insights into the past! And yes, we must never forget the horrors of the 20th century! I wish you and your family a joyous Easter!!!
Yes, we remember the past, but not the future.
Let us not forget the massacre of Polish Army officers by the Russians. The evildoers are at the gates again.
The reason for the massacre, according to the historian Gerhard Weinberg, was that Stalin wanted to deprive a potential future Polish military of a large portion of its talent. The Soviet leadership, and Stalin in particular, viewed the Polish prisoners as a "problem" as they might resist being under Soviet rule.
This massacre occurred in the Katyn Forrest during World War 2.
Perhaps my disdain for the ignorant should be tempered by the fact of their ignorance. But there is no tempering of my disdain for political “leaders” who knowingly stoke the fears that are fascism’s fundamental appeal. Those who sit by in silence are no better. If we are fortunate enough to survive this era, these despicable hypocrites and their invertebrate enablers will rush to redeem themselves, and the ignorant will believe their fabrications. We must deny them success at every turn.
Look either in Cracow or Wausau for an ancient Jewish cemetery unlike any other. When you approach its not much more than an acre, you walk up a staircase to get to the level of the gravestones. Then you notice that on each grave there are 3, 4 or even 5 stones.
The Jews were restricted for a few hundred years from owning or acquiring property cemeteries included.
So when full, they added dirt on top and then buried another layer of bodies on each layer This went on for almost a century.
So the nazis didn’t have an exclusive on anti semitism in Poland and Eastern Europe, it’s been thriving forever
today jews are tolerated as long as they know “their place” but once they fight a mortal enemy the world condemns and wants them back to “their place”
I am no fan of Bibi for sure, but the majority of the outrage is anti Semitic not pro Palestinian. Unfortunately for the Palestinians they are pariahs of their Arab brethren too. Pan Jordan, Saudi’s, Syrians, Iraqis, Egyptians and others have all taken their turns at throwing them out, killing them and starving them. Now crocodile tears from these despots, it’s total bullshit from these hypocrites!
While this is all true, it must also be said that the Poles at that time were eager, willing participants in the murder of Jews. Some of my survivor relatives said they were even more violently anti-Semitic than the nazis.