Day 9: Forgive and Forget…

Can we forgive Germany for its past and still remember all that has happened?

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There are things we choose to remember in life. Usually memories that are fond, like the first time you were successful at riding a bike, or your wedding day. However we also have a tendency to remember the bad and the painful as well, like the bones you might have broken, or the worst fight you ever had with your partner. In order to appreciate the good memories, you have to have bad ones, but its how you choose to remember the bad that is important.

Germany has wonderful memories, victories and events that are proud moments in its history. However, all of the other history that makes up Germany often gets overlooked by the Holocaust and the events that occurred before, during, and after World War II. Berlin has so many elements that span across the city that are fighting to commemorate and honor the people that were forced into horrible positions. Some of them are solemn, and some attempt to be celebratory, but the question comes up, should Berlin be a city that constantly has to work so hard to combat the history of that time?

Berlin also seems like it is a little choosey on what is appropriate to commemorate and remember and what is, to them, better to be forgotten. There are buildings that were repurposed directly after the war, while others were torn down. Even some that we have see previously that were not deemed worthy of being reconstructed until much later.

Berlin attempts to make up for its past with all of the monuments and memorials that are beautifully preserved and tended to, like it is an eternal apology for the victims and their families. I am not saying that any of these sites are wrong, but to me, when trying to think about how Berlin, and Germany as a whole, have come to terms with the Nazi history, I feel like the constant reminders that flood the city and country will never allow them to forgive themselves.