Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, and it brought back memories of my visit to the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. It’s one of the most powerful and moving places I’ve visited, as it makes the horrors of the events feel as real as possible. I specifically remember a huge pile of shoes, each representing a person who lost their lives in the atrocities.
When people think about the Holocaust, many think of the gas chambers. Certainly, they were the culmination, but the annihilation did not start there. According to the World Jewish Congress, the Holocaust began with exclusion, indifference, and silence.
It’s that way with everything, both good and bad: we remember the final outcome and tend to forget all the little steps that led us there. All the decisions, actions, and inactions, those who spoke up and those voices that remained quiet. Every result is the culmination of a series of events that influence where things end up.
Commit to contributing early in the process rather than hoping someone else will represent your views or steer things in a favorable direction. It’s up to you to make a difference before the outcome is inevitable.
