A recurring theme in our texts and class discussions has been the idea of memorials and all they stand for. But my interest is not so much in public memorials as the personal memorials we keep of lost ones. Through these memorials, people keep alive the memory and spirit of those they can't let go.
After a traumatic event many people experience a crisis of survival, where they suffer from guilt for living through an event where others perished. Many people also feel a sense of being left behind by the person they love, creating a mixture of difficult emotions to cope with.
This leads to questions concerning whether these memorials are a help or a hindrance. Which, in turn leads to issues of dissolving these memorials--both personal and public. Is there an acceptable time for grieving? After a certain point, should these memorials be dismantled? Or should we all have to reckon with the travesties of a century gone wrong every day?
No comments:
Post a Comment