lost innocence

what I found interesting was how, in a film done entirely in black and white, this girl's coat was colorized. Why? was it to pronounce the innocence in a world gone completely mad- and who it cost in lives?

A few nights ago, I had the chance to view the movie, "Schindler's List" once again. Not having seen it since 1995, I had forgotten many parts of it...and perhaps that is not such a good thing.

The forgetting, I mean.

As I watched it, I was once again taken aback by the horror of what happened, of how insidiously the collective ideology crept up on people until it was too late.
Enter Oskar Schindler.

By movie's end, he grieved over the fact that he could only save 1100 people. Only 1100. "This car," he said, "this car could have saved two more!" Pointing to his Nazi pin, he exclaimed that the gold in the pin could have helped one more! And on it went.

In the end, he saved 1100 people...and those people now have 6000 descendants.
Six thousand people today whose ancestors lived through a horror worse than anything we could ever imagine...

Or can we?

All one has to do is to watch the news, read a paper...witness how even TODAY people are put into separate cubicles. Race. Creed. Gender. Religion. Economic status. Age. Disability. And more.

As I tried to fall asleep that night, I cried and prayed. I prayed for forgiveness. Was there someone who I may have dissed for whatever reason? For color? Status? Even age-related? Then I prayed again for patience as well as wisdom to open my eyes...to SEE who needs to be recognized!

My friend, we ALL need to be recognized! We ALL are children of God, no matter our color, our religion, our gender...we ALL need compassion! There are too many terrorists in the world today who are still tearing apart what God brought together. Too many people who think that it is OK to murder a baby and say it is legal through abortion. Too many people who say that putting poor people in a project is ok, so long as they have "housing." Too many people who thrive on greed and by doing so, destroy our environment. Too many who look the other way when children go missing due to sex trafficking, when opiod addicts lose control and overdose, too many who shield their eyes from pain and feel that so long as it hasn't happened to them, then all is well.

But because it happens to others, it does affect you...and me...and they...and them. We all feel pain, or at least we SHOULD. When we watch what has happened in past history, we must make every effort to keep it from happening again! Sure, there may not be gas chambers anymore, but many countries are still dealing with terrorists who think that mass shootings, bombings and using chemicals are the means to an end. There are still those who feel that putting the aged into homes and basically ignoring them has solved a problem. Too many children are going missing due to pedophiles and not enough attention has been put into resolving this issue. Too many people needing adequate health care at a time when insurance and pharmaceutical companies are padding their own pockets at the expense of those getting the care they need and cannot receive.

People say, "but, it's too big! What can I do?"

You don't have to help everyone, but to someone, you can be their everything. Start with one...one becomes two, two becomes ten...and just as Oskar Schindler did, soon you will see the fruits of your service. You will understand that the difference you made will have grown to such magnitude.

History repeats itself. The bad things in history have happened just because....how about making the good things in history resound with a fervor as well? Make good things happen today! Make them happen every day!

Amen