A Door To The Past…
A memory is like a door to the past. When walked through nothing can be
changed to the past, all people are capable of doing is watching events play in
order as they had done before. Although nothing can be done, they allow us to
learn and teach future generations of our mistakes. It is these memories that
separate us from the animals. “History is a people’s memory, and without a
memory, man is demoted to the lower animals.” –Malcolm X. Without our
memories to guide us, we become lost and scared. We become animals and
that’s what Malcolm X is trying to explain in his quote. Without our memories we
are demoted to animals. Our memories are like a bridge. When we cross over
the bridge, we find ourselves in a new environment and we learn. With our
memories, we learn. Throughout the course of history are many examples of
when man became animalistic due to their lack of memory. Slavery, 9/11, and
the Holocaust to name a few.
To start with, slavery began when the first African-American slaves were
brought to the Americanized colony of Jamestown Virginia in 1619 to aid the
production of valuable crops such as tobacco and cotton. The slaves helped
build much of the economic foundation of the new world and even when they
played such a big role in America’s economy they were treated terribly. As
America’s economic growth enlarged, the more and more slaves would be
captured and bought. It was these events that allowed man to forget that all
men were created equally. Slaves believed that this was a purgatory. That in
order to go to heaven, they would need fight through the pain, the torturing,
and the suffering. This only shows that Americans treated them with such
disrespect and hatred. Without memories, we are devoted to hatred and abuse.
What the southerners hadn’t realized was that they didn’t see it from the slaves
point of view. This event in American history would have gone down so much
differently if the Americans had put themselves in the place of the slaves.
Nobody enjoys being mistreated, abused, or being cussed at. Southerners not
only forgot that all men were created equally, but they forgot how it felt to be
mistreated.
On another note, 9/11/01 was a tragic date in American history. Over
2,900 people were injured/died that day. The Twin Towers helped grow the
economy as N.Y.C. developed. Not only did people lose their lives, but also
others lost their homes, their jobs. The tragic event still lies inside America’s
growing heart. This event allowed us to become improved, an America 2.0 some
would even say. Our memories allowed us to move forward. If it were not for the
event, a tremendous amount of safety precautions that we have today would
not exist. Schools wouldn’t be safe, airports, train stations, etc. Without our
memory of the tragic event we never would have been able to evolve into our
safer community. Goodbyes will always hurt; pictures can never replace having
been there, memories good or bad will bring tears. It is those memories however
that will allow us to learn, thrive, and start a new.
The Holocaust was an event that gave the term genocide a meaning.
Over 11 million people were killed during this tragic event, 6 million of which were
those who celebrated Jewish religion. Not only did Jewish people suffer but so
did handicapped, Gypsies, and the sick. The intention of the Holocaust was so
that the German race could be perfect. Killing the imperfections were their way
of making their community perfect. Not only did they kill the innocent for that
reason, but they also killed the Jews because the Nazis felt that they were a
threat to the German race. The Nazi’s had forgot that every man and woman on
earth was created equally, making them the animals not the Jews. When the
Americans fought back and helped, we were remembering what it was like to
lose friends and family. It was when Hitler was cornered he realized the heat of
his actions. He turned into an animal. Without our memories we stray from the
path.
As a final point, our memory separates us from the animals. Although you
can see that some people throughout the course of time people have forgotten
so much that they have been seen as animalistic or cruel. Memory is like a door
to the past. When walked through nothing can be changed to the past all they
are capable of doing is watching the events play in order as they once did. It is
these memories that make who we are; these are the memories that will be our
future. Without our memories we become animalistic. Forgetting what it is like to
be in that kind of situation. It is when we finally realize that we were leading a
stray on the path of life, we try our best o become human again. A memory is
like a door to the past. When walked through nothing can be changed to the
past, all you are capable of doing is watching events play in order as they had
done before. Although nothing can be done, they allow us to learn and teach
future generations of our mistakes. It is these memories that separate us from the
animals. . Throughout the course of history are many examples of when man
became animalistic due to their lack of memory. A man/woman without a
memory can be a nightmare come true.