"The two shots fired in Sarajevo in 1914 and the bombs dropped on Guernica in 1937 show us that violence has consequences far beyond its immediate victims. But so does memory. So does art. So does the simple act of bearing witness."
A monumental day in history. You tell the stories. We live another version. We witness.
Thank you for sharing this important story, Alex! We will go there tomorrow, 29 June, to visit the heart of the Basque country with friends from the Netherlands who came to visit us.
The wealth of information in this post about the importance of the date 28 June was a complete surprise to me. What an incredible history lesson. As I was reading about Guernica, which I’ve seen, my thoughts immediately turned toward the incipient authoritarianism building in the US.
“The distance between inflammatory speeches and exploding bombs is shorter than we like to believe, as we've seen with trigger-happy leaders who act first and think later.” So much of your story rings true today. These words are especially prominent for recent events involving a trigger happy quasi leader who acts first and thinks later although ‘thinking’ is subjective.
Your retelling of history and how it so closely mirrors what is happening today is like a tremulous warning that cannot be ignored. It’s fascinating to read and make connections with the past.
I especially liked the words “memory requires witnesses”. History is our teacher and makes witnesses of us all.
"The two shots fired in Sarajevo in 1914 and the bombs dropped on Guernica in 1937 show us that violence has consequences far beyond its immediate victims. But so does memory. So does art. So does the simple act of bearing witness."
A monumental day in history. You tell the stories. We live another version. We witness.
Thank you for sharing this important story, Alex! We will go there tomorrow, 29 June, to visit the heart of the Basque country with friends from the Netherlands who came to visit us.
Thanks for the history lesson and the hopeful reminders. We do witness. We do resist. We will ultimately put this horrific chapter behind us.
The wealth of information in this post about the importance of the date 28 June was a complete surprise to me. What an incredible history lesson. As I was reading about Guernica, which I’ve seen, my thoughts immediately turned toward the incipient authoritarianism building in the US.
“The distance between inflammatory speeches and exploding bombs is shorter than we like to believe, as we've seen with trigger-happy leaders who act first and think later.” So much of your story rings true today. These words are especially prominent for recent events involving a trigger happy quasi leader who acts first and thinks later although ‘thinking’ is subjective.
Your retelling of history and how it so closely mirrors what is happening today is like a tremulous warning that cannot be ignored. It’s fascinating to read and make connections with the past.
I especially liked the words “memory requires witnesses”. History is our teacher and makes witnesses of us all.
Thank you for more important lessons.
This week will tell the end tale of the USA. I do not anticipate any enjoyment of this absurd experience.