Never Forget
If there's one thing I learned from this whole trip is that while the past will always be the past, but it's important to never forget.
I guess that would be the most important reason why museums exist, to commemorate something of the past and of great importance, to introduce a city to a foreigner and to make sure no one ever forgets.
Most of the people I know would rather forego the Dachau Memorial Site. From the name itself, it's already not a tourist place. This place was one of the concentration camps in Germany, where hundreds of thousands of Germans, and other nationalities died during the National Socialist Regime, aka Hitler's time, where about 11 million people of various nationalities were murdered.
Evidently, if you talk to anyone German, you would know that pretty much everything that they did and came to since, was a byproduct of the hardship they experienced back then. This is why the expression of art is ubiquitous especially in Berlin where the division was still felt up to 1989. This is why the Germans have the best performing economy in Europe and why they're such sticklers for safety and function.
All throughout, however, I felt ashamed that I knew more of German progression than that of my own. I could think of so many revolutions and wars in the Philippine history but somehow, I can't think of anything that we have not forgotten. As a nation, we forgot about the Marcos Dictatorship which was progressive but crippled the country. A former president plundered the country and he is back in power as mayor of the capital. Another former president is guilty of multiple charges and is in congress. We forgot what a former senator's murder was for, his killers never found. We forgot about how our heroes fought for democracy, freedom and quality of life.
We always forget. What this country remembers are the soap opera plots and the celebrity love teams, the pop culture of their time and the movies that sold high at the blockbusters. We choose to linger on what was good, fun and aspirational, conveniently forgetting we have a role in society to move towards higher quality of living, towards the common good.
Isn't it about time to remember and to never forget the lesson the experience has taught you? Isn't it about time to let go of the frilly thoughts and do something about the train wreck that is Manila, and most of the whole country living under the poverty level? Isn't it time to do something?
I still don't know what I will do but I will do something. I ain't forgetting this time.