We are given one life to live, as far as many of us know. How do we live it? What do we do with this life so freely given to each of us?
Nicholas Winton saved Jewish children during the last war while their parents were sent to death in the gas chambers. He died the other day at 106. And look at the joy on his face in this photo of 2009 as he greets one woman saved by himself!
The photo below is of one Oskar Gröning, who is 94, and a former SS officer who worked at Auschwitz collecting valuables from prisoners on their way to their deaths. He was recently on trial for being an accessory to 300,000 counts of murder for his role at Auschwitz. Although he admitted his guilt before God it wasn't enough for many of the relatives of those put to death. What is quite remarkable is the difference between the two expressions; one of joy and one of fear.
For me, it might seem that some of us have moral bearings while others do not, and that some are just more attuned to that moral compass than others. Some might say people are just plain crazy whilst others evil. But many of us may be simply too lazy and weak at heart, unable to affront the machinery of violence and cruelty already set in motion around us. I do not make excuses but one can see it in today's world.
So the question begs: we have one life to live, how do we live it today, and what do we do to live it well?
No comments:
Post a Comment