Editor:
The University of Utah is observing the Days of Remembrance, a time to remember the Jews who lost their lives in the World War II Holocaust. We do not wish to take anything away from this time. It is right that we remember?more importantly, remember with horror and sorrow?such a catastrophe.
We do have a word of caution, however. We can look back and say to ourselves, ?What a terrible thing! It?s a good thing that we are civilized now.? Yet we would be lying to ourselves.
In Sudan, two million men and women have lost their lives in the last 17 years in civil war. Survivors have been enslaved, women have been raped, children have been left to starve.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as Zaire, 1.7 million have died in the last 22 months due to a civil war and the consequences of destroying its health-care system.
In Bosnia recently, 7,500 men, women and children were slaughtered in an area that was under U.N. protection. The comment was made that there were ?atrocities on a scale not seen since the Second World War?.
If these countries are just words, if these statistics are just numbers, then we have numbed ourselves to human tragedy because it is not in our backyard.
Yet, we have mentioned just these countries, because they are the countries of individuals that we have met and with whom we have spoken.
They are here in Salt Lake City.
By definition, they are the lucky ones, because they have survived and are out of those areas of conflict. But those people still have friends and loved ones at home, facing either a current onslaught or the aftermath of events that we can not comprehend.
Now we?re afraid. We want to show you that these things are not just foreign, alien to our thinking. But our fear is that when we mention 40 million babies lost to abortion, your eyes will glaze over in an indignant haze, and you will forget what we have mentioned.
But please remember: That which becomes conceivable then becomes permissible, then acceptable. We have decided what life is appropriate to survive, and the seeds have been sown.
Please, if your conscience dictates, wear a badge as part of these Days of Remembrance. But then, do something.
Kevin & Pat Nechodom
Students, University of Utah