a field trip

I usually avoid field trips. The main reason for this is the fact that I don't want to do all the required administrative work when most of the attendees just want a day off from school. Recently though, a colleague invited me to bring my European history students along with hers to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Due to the fact that I had never been, and also that I figured this would be more than just a fun day off, I decided to take her up on the offer. I am very glad that I did. The museum, in my opinion, is excellent. The experience of a visit, particularly with students of European history, was quite memorable. I want to make mention of several thoughts that I took away from the day. The first thing I noticed was what seems to be a, if not the, major theme of the museum. The holocaust is so often portrayed and approached as if it existed in a vacuum. The Holocaust is often shown to have been a very tragic event that was the consequence of a madman. The creators of this museum seem determined to challenge this. They chose to present this event as the result of an evil man, who rose to power within a society with similar sentiments, that resulted from the movement of western and world history. Far from downplaying the atrocities of this event, they actually portray them in their true, horrible form. In doing so, they present a threatening reality. What happened was not a consequence of anything distinctively German, Jewish, European, or Western. It happened, I would argue, due to something about humanity in general. If that is true, than it radically changes my response to it. I need not just remember the Holocaust, but allow it to be a continual reminder to me to treat people well. This museum is much more than a memorial. It is a compulsion for all who visit to act. The second thing that struck me was its claim that Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, failed to act in any significant way to resist Hitler's rise to power. To be fair, it did say that there was one small church that told its followers not to swear allegiance to the Nazi party. Aside from that, most churches responded to the Nazi party with either support or indifference. Both of these force me to reflect upon my own life and actions. I can be saddened by this terrible loss of life. I can feel rage at the absolute failure of God's people once again to model the teachings of Christ. What I can't get past though is the fear that I might also not have done anything about it. It is possible that there are plenty of opportunities now for me to prevent suffering and injustice, and I am failing to act for one reason or another. Hopefully if an opportunity that great existed, it would be obvious, and I would act.