My Viewpoint on the World in 2016

Every year, on November 11th, just like millions of others, I pause in whatever I happen to be doing and bow my head in silence for two minutes, to remember those who gave their lives in the two World Wars and those who continue to give or lose their lives to this day for my freedom. Even when I was in New Zealand, I made sure that I took a moment to reflect, although New Zealanders themselves have their own day of remembrance on ANZAC Day and do not observe Armistice Day.

It has always been somewhat of a ritual for me to listen to the service of memorial at the Cenotaph and this year was no exception. As I walked towards the Imperial War Museum, I kept my headphones in and listened to Jonathan Dimbleby as he narrated the proceedings, as the bands played the well-known songs, as Big Ben struck 11am and two minutes of silence were broken only by the sound of seagulls and as familiar names then proceeded to lay wreaths at the monument.

Not only is it Remembrance Sunday, but it’s also been a difficult week – Trump was elected President and I fear that our world is plunging into another dark period of history, overshadowed by racism, misogyny, sexism, fear, greed and hate. It’s hard to stay positive when you are bombarded from all sides by such worrying and sad news, not just about Trump but also about Brexit, terrorism and extremism across the world.

Upon arrival at the museum, I headed for the Holocaust exhibition. It’s the part of the Second World War that horrifies me and saddens me the most for obvious reasons, and since travelling in Europe in June this year, I’ve become intensely interested in learning as much about this terrible time in human history as possible. As 2016 has unfolded, I’ve been struck on many occasions by the similarities that saw the Nazi party rise to power and what I feel that I am seeing in the world today.

The Holocaust exhibition at IWM is comprehensive, in-depth and emotionally charged. It gives an eye-opening account of the run-up to the Holocaust itself, explaining thoroughly the post-World War One depression that helped to bring about Hitler’s rise to power (among other things), providing education behind the historic anti-Semitism across Europe and it shows Hitler as a frighteningly charismatic and persuasive figure that the masses could and did rally behind.

For me, the similarities between Hitler and Trump are eerily accurate and whilst I won’t go as far as to say that Trump will ever do such horrific things as Hitler (I sincerely hope!), I will say that it is scary to see how people are once again rallying behind someone who breeds hatred fed by racism, sexism and fear. And it’s not only in the USA that we are seeing this.

Across Europe, far right leaders are waiting in the wings, ready to swoop in and tell people what they seem to want to hear. For an interesting insight into this, you might want to read this article from The Independent. And whilst I’ve refrained from writing about Brexit in my blog before now, I will say here and now that I can’t help feeling that for some, the vote to leave the EU was partly driven by racism and a disturbing, growing hatred aimed at immigrants and refugees in the UK. In times of financial hardship (we are still recovering from the recession and the ‘everyday’ person is being squeezed and squeezed), people become more selfish and in a bid to take back ‘what is ours’, those who appear not to belong or seem different or are thought to be leaching from already strained resources are cast out and a concept of ‘us and them’ is born.

Today’s visit to the museum compounded my current thoughts and feelings about how the world seems to me now. What particularly struck me were the stories told by Holocaust survivors. I sat and watched them talking, reel after reel, with tears in my eyes as they described the horrors they encountered, the everyday struggle to survive and finally, at the end of the exhibition, how they continued through life afterwards.

For me, the final tapes were the most interesting. These people, who have seen so much hatred and suffering, went on to live interesting, hopefully fulfilling lives after the war. Although they never fully recovered, they did move forwards. All of them have been burdened by thoughts of ‘why did I survive and not my sister/mother/brother/father?’ They question how they survived – they don’t even know how they managed to get out alive. For many, you can clearly see how hard it is to recount these stories, even decades later. One woman described it quite eloquently and I quote her as best I can:

Another woman said she looked at the world and saw that humans had learnt nothing from the past. And I found myself nodding along with her as she spoke to me from the screen – her words echoing those of a German man we met on the train between Prague and Munich back in June. We discussed the EU Referendum in Britain and he recounted how he’d escaped from east to west during the Cold War. He told us he feared that now the two World Wars were moving beyond living memory, we were forgetting the suffering, the pain, the atrocities of war and how hate breeds hate.

So I say this. In the week when Donald Trump was named President-Elect following a vitriolic campaign, in the year which saw Britain vote to leave the EU after a campaign based on lies and propaganda (from both sides), in 2016 which seems to me to be one of the darkest years I have ever experienced, let’s remember.

Let’s remember those who died to ensure our freedom. Let’s remember the atrocities of our past and learn from them. Let’s acknowledge the atrocities of today too. Let’s remember to be kind to others, to respect others, to treat others how we would hope to be treated. Let’s remember we are all only human and that no matter what our religion, skin colour, gender, sexuality or ethnicity, we are all born equal.