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Reflection on cruelty and obedience
Roughly six million Jews. Six million Jews were exterminated by Nazi Germany. Ever since I learned this as a young girl; ever since I can remember, one question persists: How did no one stop it sooner? How was this even possible? How did so many people simply obey? It felt implausible that a human being could go home at night and fall into a peaceful sleep after inflicting so much suffering. Inconceivable that an entire army could agree to carry out one egotistical, despicable, small man’s wish. How did so many people just… agree? How did cruelty become routine? How did obedience outweigh conscience? And yet, for a long time,…
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The Neighboring Country
Geographically speaking, Haiti is my neighbor. The Dominican Republic is my hometown and where I lived until my early teen years. My family is from a small city called La Vega, which is located in North-Central DR, about 250 miles from the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. While studying in the Dominican Republic, I learned basic information about Haiti’s culture and history. The relationship between the two countries has always been tense, and a lot of it has to do with ignorance. Brief History In 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived in the island of Santo Domingo (now capital of the DR). He later claimed the whole island (now divided in two; the…
