70 Years Since the War Began

Today marks the 70th Anniversary of WWII. In Poland, and many other European countries this is a special event that needs to be remembered. Leaders from Russia, German and other European countries have arrived in Poland to remember the past. Who started the war? Who died in the war? Who survived the war?

On this day, seventy years ago one of the most brutal and deadly wars began. WWII took the concept of war to the next level. Once upon a time it was soldier against soldier, that has changed since WWII, now it's soldier against citizen, citizen against soldier. The battlefield is no longer limited to those in the army, navy or air force, it now fully includes the individual. Men, women and children are all victims, they've all become targets.

There has been a lot of blame thrown around about WWII, and while it was a tragic event that even words can not describe, blame is not going to change what happened. It's not going to bring back the brave and innocent people who were lost. It's not going to punish those responsible seventy years ago. Yes, we need to remember the past and the history, but not at the expense of teaching hate or announcing that revenge is OK. Neither hate nor revenge are OK.

For someone who was not there to experience WWII, it's difficult to find words to describe what people may have felt or how they should now react. My great grandfather, a policeman, died in Katyn. His son, my grandfather, along with his siblings and mother were packed up in the middle of the night by German soldiers and sent to the outskirts of Russia in areas now known as Kazakhstan. Whether they lived or died, no one cared. It was up to them. They were lucky. They survived, and I am lucky to have my wonderful grandfather in my life today.

We need to remember what happened to make certain that it doesn't happen again. War is an unnecessary evil. Power makes us want to do terrible acts to achieve higher status. Our power should not come at the cost of someone else's life. We should remember our heroes, our loved ones and the people who suffered. We should remember that war is not the way. We should understand that it's possible to live in peace and harmony. We are all the same regardless of our country of origin, our race, religion, or status. We all have the same basic needs, emotions and dreams.

War is the answer only to a person who is afraid, lacks confidence and needs to feel superior by tormenting, terrorizing and weakening others. Just like the school bully, except this time it's a grown up who should be wiser.

We all humans. We should all be able to live together, help each other, and fill our hearts and lives with love. History should not repeated itself. It should teach us to live together in peace.