Comments on: Only Connect http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/ Listen to stories on anything from honeymoons to WWII, from award-winning journalists to first-time writers alike, from anywhere in the world. Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:23:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Mike G. http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/#comment-27933 Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:36:59 +0000 http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/#comment-27933 I thank you for this story.As I read some of the comments I seen from other stories of the Holocaust,that people should not remember what happened,and should just move forward.If the forgetting should happen I believe the same mistakes could happen again.I read a great saying that certaily applies here"those that donot learn from the past,are doomed to repeat it."We should always honor those that lost their lives,honor those that survived,and the ones who fought to stop the Nazies and end their murderous rampages. That is my take on things,right or wrong,Mike G. I thank you for this story.As I read some of the comments I seen from other stories of the Holocaust,that people should not remember what happened,and should just move forward.If the forgetting should happen I believe the same mistakes could happen again.I read a great saying that certaily applies here”those that donot learn from the past,are doomed to repeat it.”We should always honor those that lost their lives,honor those that survived,and the ones who fought to stop the Nazies and end their murderous rampages.
That is my take on things,right or wrong,Mike G.

]]> by: susan kanga http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/#comment-27684 Mon, 06 Aug 2007 07:34:22 +0000 http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/#comment-27684 I\'m grateful for Elizabeth Rosner\'s words and the work of groups such as Second Generation and Acts of Reconciliation. As the daughter of a German woman who grew up in WWII, I have felt compelled to seek out stories that could shed light on her claims that nobody knew what was taking place.In my research,I found evidence to the contrary,even within our family and among my mother\'s peers.In my own creative work, I have struggled to create a response to the passivity,the uncritical acceptance of authority and pervasive post-war materialism that helped obscure the country\'s shame.I attempt to consider parallels within a diversity of experiences of oppression,racism,xenophobia,cultural criminalization and genocide.. With great care and all due respect, I question how we can move beyond the past while remembering it.The act of remembering is relative and among my German relatives,the history of their country\'s Nazi past seems to function like a persistent horsefly on the Kartoffelsalat that can always be shooed off. \"Moving beyond the past\" seems like a possible slippery slope,almost in dangerous proximity to \"forgive and forget.\" Certainly the child of Holocaust survivors will remember differently than \"those who are inclined \" not to remember at all. Particularly for the artist/healer who undertakes a journey,I don\'t know if we ever move beyond the past,or if we always carefully navigate it,attempting to bring it into balance with our lives in the present and future. We cannot mandate remembrance,but we can certainly invite shifts of perspective from which to consider memory and Elizabeth Rosner reminds us of the need for compassion and imagination.With gratitude to you who do this difficult work, Susan Kanga I\’m grateful for Elizabeth Rosner\’s words and the work of groups such as Second Generation and Acts of Reconciliation. As the daughter of a German woman who grew up in WWII, I have felt compelled to seek out stories that could shed light on her claims that nobody knew what was taking place.In my research,I found evidence to the contrary,even within our family and among my mother\’s peers.In my own creative work, I have struggled to create a response to the passivity,the uncritical acceptance of authority and pervasive post-war materialism that helped obscure the country\’s shame.I attempt to consider parallels within a diversity of experiences of oppression,racism,xenophobia,cultural criminalization and genocide..

With great care and all due respect, I question how we can move beyond the past while remembering it.The act of remembering is relative and among my German relatives,the history of their country\’s Nazi past seems to function like a persistent horsefly on the Kartoffelsalat that can always be shooed off. \”Moving beyond the past\” seems like a possible slippery slope,almost in dangerous proximity to \”forgive and forget.\”

Certainly the child of Holocaust survivors will remember differently than \”those who are inclined \” not to remember at all. Particularly for the artist/healer who undertakes a journey,I don\’t know if we ever move beyond the past,or if we always carefully navigate it,attempting to bring it into balance with our lives in the present and future.

We cannot mandate remembrance,but we can certainly invite shifts of perspective from which to consider memory and Elizabeth Rosner reminds us of the need for compassion and imagination.With gratitude to you who do this difficult work,

Susan Kanga

]]> by: Dani Novak (Teaches Math at Ithaca College, Ithaca NY) http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/#comment-27535 Sun, 05 Aug 2007 01:34:45 +0000 http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/#comment-27535 Can we remember the past and move beyond it, creating art in the process? My answer to this is that our life is Art and Creation and Choice and we are all flowing with this great adventure forever. Time is a human perception. We tend to think that the Holocaust happened in the past and find ways to avoid it and secure our lives but the best way is just live the moment and create Life and Art every moment in every way that we are guided from inside to do it. --Dani Can we remember the past and move beyond it, creating art in the process?

My answer to this is that our life is Art and Creation and Choice and we are all flowing with this great adventure forever. Time is a human perception. We tend to think that the Holocaust happened in the past and find ways to avoid it and secure our lives but the best way is just live the moment and create Life and Art every moment in every way that we are guided from inside to do it.

–Dani

]]> by: narender kumar http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/#comment-27468 Sat, 04 Aug 2007 15:09:18 +0000 http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/#comment-27468 A very well described account, I must say, in a writing style that is understanable to all and yet fresh. In present times, I believe most of us writers fail to understand that whatever we write it should be in the language of common man and not a pithy style that intimidates the common reader, taking him away from reading. So good piece of writing. I hope, and I would like to have direct exchange with you some day if possible. A very well described account, I must say, in a writing style that is understanable to all and yet fresh. In present times, I believe most of us writers fail to understand that whatever we write it should be in the language of common man and not a pithy style that intimidates the common reader, taking him away from reading. So good piece of writing. I hope, and I would like to have direct exchange with you some day if possible.

]]> by: Sherry http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/#comment-27331 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:27:50 +0000 http://www.commonties.com/blog/2007/08/03/only-connect/#comment-27331 I like the reflective, almost conversational, tone of your story. At times it seems to lapse into essay, but you have some valuable things to say, so it works. I like the reflective, almost conversational, tone of your story. At times it seems to lapse into essay, but you have some valuable things to say, so it works.

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