Thoughts about the Next Generations
In order to examine, who we – the next generations – are and what we do, it is necessary to briefly explain what led us to our commitment and how we would like to pass this on in the future.
“Le courage c’est de chercher la vérité et de la dire. (Courage is to seek the truth and tell it).”
Jean Jaurès
After decades of peace in our Western world, successive populist movements have come to light, which are trying to undermine our highly successful value concepts of human rights, rule of law and democracy. Movements, if not stopped early, can put a society and its values in great jeopardy.
So forth, in recent years those populist movements have managed to establish themselves in everyday political life with simple arguments likewise that our western society is – politically, socially and economically – in danger. And to protect us from these trends, the answer can only lay in the creation of identity politics.
This idea evolves around the concept that a civilizational step backwards with regards to class, race, age and gender would be possible and even desirable. And furthermore, that to solve this problem, something should be done against globalisation, elites, people of other origins or religions – but until then with very vague explanations of implementation.
All of these conceptual approaches are bringing back memories, when such approaches were almost exactly 100 years discussed and in due course implemented – with catastrophic consequences for the history of humankind.
Because not only did the experiences of the Second World War show that words can also be turned into deeds, but that tendencies and subsequently movements, driven by ideology, can become the source for the darkest moments – as seen in the ultimate form of the holocaust.
Therefore, in order not to forget this and to raise awareness for this factor in the future, we as descendants of victims of National socialism want to raise awareness for what has happened in the past and also intend to set a sign, that it is of utmost importance to preserve and promote human rights, rule of law and democracy, so that the events of the past can be prevented in the future!
Thus, we want to raise awareness for this – from our point of view – important topic with our stories and actions and make an important contribution to the culture of remembrance.
This is what we want to do on this website by sharing our family histories and discussing current issues, because we can only defend our values with a strong and common voice.
Since humans are eternal, their stories and actions remain immortal!
Author
Viktor Eberl
