When I was in middle school, and teachers lectured about World War II, the conflict seemed impossibly distant and irrelevant. And it had only happened 15 years earlier.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
As a child growing up in World War II, I was very moved and stirred by what was going on, but I distanced myself from history. I regarded history as just one more subject.
I always felt that if countries knew each other better, there would be less war. Often, conflict goes with demonizing other countries and cultures.
Every country has its own perspective on the Second World War. This is not surprising when experiences and memories are so different.
When I was born in 1942, World War II was still going. And I began to realize when I became a young adult that if we don't teach our kids a better way of relating to their fellow human beings, the very future of humanity on the planet is in jeopardy.
World War I was not inevitable, as many historians say. It could have been avoided, and it was a diplomatically botched negotiation.
What is happened in the years since the Second World War is not a temporary truce. It is not simply a ceasefire. Instead of battling with weapons and armaments, people battle only with arguments and ideas.
Most people learn all about the Second World War in school, or else, they see so many films put out by Hollywood, that it's easy to think we know exactly what happened.
Lack of understanding of interrelatedness has caused numerous divisions and conflicts that are the cause of many major challenges in the world such as war, violence, terrorism, economic disparity, and exploitation.
When I was six, the Korean War broke out, and all the classrooms were destroyed by war. We studied under the trees or in whatever buildings were left.
The memory of the Second World War hangs over Europe, an inescapable and irresistible point of reference. Historical parallels are usually misleading and dangerous.