– An Introspective View Essay, Research Paper
Simon Wiesenthal asks the question, What would I have done ? We are asked to put one s self in his place. This is not an easy task. One knows little to nothing of the actual feelings and struggles involved in being persecuted, unless one actually has been persecuted. As this author has never suffered such severe persecution, one must call upon the force of one s imagination. Even with the most active and vivid of imaginations, one falls short of the comprehension necessary to obtain a clear and succinct overall picture of oppression. But, as the question being asked is one of great magnitude and importance, a personal answer must be found. In the opinion of this author, the above question deserves a personal answer from each and every rational human being.
This author found great admiration for the answer given by the Dalai Lama to the above question of Wiesenthal. One can easily see a certain temptation to equate Wiesenthal s question with one s own situation, as the Dalai Lama did. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of an oppressed people. As such, he is in a unique position to answer Wiesenthal s question. The Dalai Lama found forgiveness for Karl in his heart , but also claimed a belief in forgiveness without forgetting. The Dalai Lama then equated the struggle of the Jews with the Tibetan Peoples struggle to regain freedom from their Chinese oppressors. This author found the Dalai Lama s story of a Tibetan Monk who served nearly eighteen years in a Chinese prison to be fascinating. After the monk s escape to India he was asked what his biggest fear in prison had been. The monk replied he most feared losing his compassion for the Chinese. This tale is one of forgiveness and redemption that may be beyond the scope of the average human being. To have suffered oppression for so long and to still worry about your oppressor is a phenomenal act indeed. In contrast to the Dalai Lama’s answer is the one given by Harry James Cargas. Mr. Cargas found a deeper question within the parameters of Wiesenthal s original question, namely “Should Adolph Hitler be forgiven ?” This deeper question raises a specter one may overlook, when first studying Wiesenthal s question. Does a forgiveness of the one constitute a forgiveness of the whole ? Mr. Cargas also raises a very admirable question as to the entire state of what forgiveness constitutes. He ponders, “Perhaps when I forgive I raise myself above the other” and “who am I to forgive.” For Mr. Cargas the question is not whether one can or should forgive Karl, “but dare we do so?.” Mr. Cargas felt forgiveness is something to be earned and that many times death bed confessions come far to easily. Mr. Cargas gave summary of his position thusly, “If God chooses to forgive Karl, that s God s affair. Simon Wiesenthal could not, I cannot. For me, Karl dies unforgiven.”
This author has pondered the Wiesenthal question at great length and depth. Can forgiveness be an option if one puts one s self in Simon Wiesenthal s place ? One must also ask one s self the question, as Mr. Cargas did, of who is really being forgiven. One must then consider in whose name this forgiveness would be given. One must also bear in mind whether a single man or women has the power to give forgiveness for an entire people. Human forgiveness may in deed be out of reach for acts of great wickedness. The depth of the Wiesenthal question is immense. Every rational human needs to formulate their own answer to this enormous question. For without introspection, the world would be reduced to a fate of repeating the horrific mistakes of the past. This author has found this hallowed ground, this highly sought holy grail of an answer. One can find it within the words of Mr. Wiesenthal s own book. They are the words spoken by Simon Wiesenthal s friend Josek:
“You would have had no right to do this in the name of people who had not
authorized you to do so. What people have done to you yourself, you can if you
like, forgive and forget. That is your own affair. But it would have been a
terrible sin to burden your conscience with other people s sufferings”
One can see a certain fulfillment in such an answer as Josek gives. This author finds great wisdom in Josek s words. One can not truly forgive an act such as Karl s, unless it is committed against one s own self. This author finds it impossible to forgive Karl, were one in Wiesenthal s position. Karl s true forgiveness is then up to a higher universal power. May this power have mercy on those who act without rational thought of consequence. And, may this power have mercy on this author for the above decision.
Другие работы по теме:
Harold And Maude Essay Research Paper Harold
Harold And Maude Essay, Research Paper Harold and Maude In the movie Harold and Maude, Harold is a young boy out of place in the world. He is obsessed with death and grief. Maude comes along and teaches him how to live his life and discover his true individuality. She adopts Harold and tries to bring him out of his depression and put him back in to the world as a person.
Fannie Lou Hamer Essay Research Paper
“If the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question American. Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off of the hook because of our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings in America?” Fannie Lou Hammer before the Democratic National Convention, 1964.
William Blake
: “My Pretty Rose Tree” Essay, Research Paper ?My Pretty Rose-Tree,? written by William Blake, is a poem of love, jealousy, and sorrow. This eight-line poem, following the abab acac rhyme pattern, is full of strong symbolism and a great deal of personification, all used in an attempt to express the narrator?s feelings.
Rimbaud And Ginsberg Essay Research Paper Rimbaud
Rimbaud And Ginsberg Essay, Research Paper Rimbaud and Ginsberg as Modern Poets Anyone who has read a fair sampling of modernist poetry or studied some representative visionary poets has found the experience something of a revelation. Immediately exhilarating for some, initially intimidating for others and, for all of us, a profound departure from traditional literature.
Baseball Satire Essay Research Paper America s
Baseball Satire Essay, Research Paper America s Favorite Pastime There is only one sport in this country that everyone loves passionately and follows intimately. This is the most intense and exciting sport ever known to mankind. Everyone in America is glued to the television set every night, watching intently, wondering what exciting play can immediately change the face of the game.
AZ Report On Russian Essay Research Paper
Leaders They have a different system in Russia than what we have here. They have a President and Prime Minister for their executive branch. The Legislative branch has the Federal Assembly. The Judicial system has a lot of area like Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Arbitration, and the Office of Procurator General.
Math In Everyday Life Essay Research Paper
Math and many of its aspects are a major part of everyday life. We spend the majority of our school years studying and learning the concepts of it. Many times, the question of ?why do we need to know these things?? has been asked. The following report will explain the history and purpose of geometry in our lives.
Fibonacci And Nature Essay Research Paper The
Fibonacci And Nature Essay, Research Paper The math project topic Eddy and I have chosen is the Fibonacci Sequence and it’s relation to nature. The Sequence is very popular and involves many aspects of life including animals, plants and other educational purposes. The topic is extremely interesting and will change the way students look at everyday things by considering Fibonacci and his famous numbering system.
Quit Smoking Essay Research Paper IntroductionAttention Getter
Quit Smoking Essay, Research Paper Introduction Attention Getter: 390,000 people died last year. Each one of them spending an estimated 1,100 dollars a year on their deaths. In twenty-five years each person could have had an estimated 28,000 dollars of free spending money. Smoking is the root of the problem.
Adoptive V. Birth Parents
’ Legal Rights Essay, Research Paper Adoptive v. Birth Parents’ Rights This issue hits home with me, I am adopted. I believe that a child’s parents are the people who raise them and take care of them. I do not believe that birth parents have any rights to their children after the child has been adopted and living with their adoptive parents.
Tobacco Use Sucks Essay Research Paper Brandon
Tobacco Use Sucks Essay, Research Paper Brandon Turnbow June 14, 2000 Essay #3 Final Tobacco Use Sucks By now, almost everyone knows that smoking and other tobacco use causes cancer. But did you know it?s also the number one cause of heart disease and emphysema, too? When you smoke tobacco, the effects on your body are immediate. ?Your pulse increases.
Tryptophan Essay Research Paper The only ones
Tryptophan Essay, Research Paper The only ones still awake within an hour of Thanksgiving dinner were me and the dog. The dog sat hopefully underneath the table, waiting for the weight of the food to bring the whole mess crashing down to her. I sat on the back porch and watched my family sprawled across the living room like the aftermath of an inquest.
My Antonia Essay Research Paper SettingMy Antonia
My Antonia Essay, Research Paper Setting My Antonia takes place mostly in the countryside in Nebraska. Many events happen because of this location. Russian Pavel is wounded working in the country, later he dies. Mr. Shimerda commits suicide because he is not used to country living and does not like it. The main characters move to Black Hawk, a nearby town to their farm, only to return to the country in end.
Descriptive Essay Essay Research Paper The vivid
Descriptive Essay Essay, Research Paper The vivid memory of the Nebraska plains never leaves me. I can return to this place at any moment. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My lungs are filled with the clean and pure air, a welcome change from the thick hazy air of the outside world. I am alone with only my thoughts and emotions to keep me company.
Poore Brothers Essay Research Paper Poore BrothersBrothers
Poore Brothers Essay, Research Paper Poore Brothers Brothers Don and Jay Poore had worked on potato chip packaging equipment and thought they would strike out on their own. While servicing packaging machines in Pennsylvania, Don and Jay had met a gentleman who knew a lot about making potato chips in small kettles One Batch at a Time and he helped them get started.
English cafe Veni, vidi, vici
Внеклассное мероприятие для 9–10-х классов по теме: "!" Бачурина Елена Михайловна, учитель английского языка Димитриева Ольга Альбертовна, учитель английского языка
Russian Fairy Tales Essay Research Paper Due
Russian Fairy Tales Essay, Research Paper Due: December 1, 1997 Russian Fairy Tales Fairy tales, myths and folklore are all types of literature that teach us about the history and the culture of other countries. Hundreds of fairy tales have been published around the world including works by Hans Christan Andersen, Charles Dickens and John Ruskin.
Online Poems By Wendy Rose Essay Research
Paper Itch Like Crazy: Resistance This is one of those days when I see Columbus in the eyes of nearly everyone and making the deal is at the fingertips of every hand.
Voting Act Of 65 Essay Research Paper
Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was one of the most significant laws passed in the last century. The act insured the right to vote for African Americans who had been discriminated against ever since 1870, at least so far as de jure segregation is concerned, under the 15th Amendment. The general importance of this act, however, is more clearly seen as one looks at the broad effects and consequences of this act.
Language In Dead Culture Essay Research Paper
The culture of Grateful Dead fans is a recognized subculture in American society. The definition of a subculture is a religious, economic, or regional etc. group identified by shared patterns of behavior which differ from those of the surrounding culture (1). The Grateful Dead fans are called and call themselves Deadheads.
Oscar Wilde Essay Research Paper Oscar WildeOscar
Oscar Wilde Essay, Research Paper Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde (real name Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde) was born on October 16th, 1854 in Dublin. His father, William Robert Wilde, was an eminent
The Beach Boys Essay Research Paper The
The Beach Boys Essay, Research Paper The Beach Boys The Beach Boys formed in 1961. The band members are; Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson who are all brothers, Al Jardine and Mike Love. All but Al Jardine lived in Los Angelas.
Beach Boys Essay Research Paper The Beach
Beach Boys Essay, Research Paper The Beach Boys Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, the beach boys finally emerged by 1966 as America s biggest pop group, the only one other group to challenge this was the Beatles. In 1961 debut with the popular hit Surfin, the three Wilson brothers, Brian, Denies, and Carl.
The Truth About Fat Essay Research Paper
Essentials Calling fat one of life’s essentials may seem like a bold statement. Health professionals have recommended cutting back on fat for years, cautioning the public about the health risks associated with high-fat eating patterns. However, some types of fats have health benefits, while other fats when eaten in excess have adverse effects.
Traditional Argentina Foods Essay Research Paper ARGENTINAS
Traditional Argentina Foods Essay, Research Paper ARGENTINAS TRADITIONAL FOODS Many foods are grown in Argentina. Some of the foods are wheat, potatoes, soy beans, mutton, barley, flax, corn, and many fruits and vegtables. These foods are shipped to the big cities and from there they are shipped to small islands.
Math As It Relates To Biology Essay
, Research Paper Mathematics as it relates to Biology Mathematics and many of its aspects are a major part of everyday life. We spend the majority of our school years studying and learning the concepts of it.
Behavior Changes Essay Research Paper Behavior ChangesThe
Behavior Changes Essay, Research Paper Behavior Changes The health behavior that I would like to change is the usage of smokeless tobacco. I need to stop using tobacco, so I can have nice teeth and try to avoid getting cancer. My personal goal is to either use it very, very minimal, or quit completely. If I can accomplish this goal, then I will have clean teeth and more money.