Swastika Rehabilitation Day?

Crematorium in operation at Dachau, the first concentration camp established in 1933 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I was just over at Delightfully Ludicrous, (link), reading that

today is Swastika Rehabilitation Day. It's a funny/bizarre  

story and it's worth reading what she has to say about it.

Anyway.

I was on a bike tour of Bavaria in 1988 and was

overwhelmed by the beauty of the German countryside

and the intense spirituality of the people.  We often found

little grottos deep in the woods with a small statue of

The Virgin and a burning candle set in front of her. 

Religious paintings and statues were everywhere.

 

But Bavaria has a dark history.

Dachau is twenty minutes outside of Munich by city bus.

It is the place where the Nazis conducted their torture

experiments on prisoners. 

 

When we entered what was the SS headquarters for the camp,

there were huge banners hanging from the ceiling that showed

the faces of some of their victims.  

The Nazis documented everything so well.

 

I just don't have the words to describe what it was like.

How can you describe looking into eyes that show anguish

beyond all comprehension.

 

And there was not a sound. 

So many people were there that day and we were all numb. The

silent tears just ran down our faces and nobody bothered to try to

hide them or wipe them away.

The crematorium had a bad smell. 

Fifty years after it was first used it still stank.

But that being said, my dear fellow bloggers, it is my personal

opinion that the swastika can be rehabilitated -

 

when humankind learns to stop hating.

 

Until that time it must remain verboten.