a history lesson or two

martin luther king, jr

monday the 15th was martin luther king day. knowing nothing much more than mlk jr being an african-american civil rights and peace activist known for his "i have a dream" speech, id realized i knew very little about such an important figure in human history. a bit ashamed of my ignorance, part of the past week was spent on a bit of learning more. not so much about mlk per se, but a little more of others' past. through a medium i find entertaining, movies.

must-see documentary

god grew tired of us is a documentary that covers the journey of sudanese boys who were orphaned by a tragic civil war and who, among 25,000 others seeking refuge from famine, diseease and rebel attacks, travelled barefoot accross the sub-saharan desert to eventually find their way to the UN’s refugee camp in kakuka, kenya. a journey's end for some, it was only the beginning for john, daniel and panther, who along with 3,800 other young survivors, were selected by the international rescue committee to re-settle in the US. the film covers the 3 resilient young men in a complex and confusing western world. illuminating all that has been gained and much that has been lost in the continuing immigrant experience of coming to america.

the movie provided a great context for all the depressing images out there of struggling african children. usually just seen in magazines and news bits, the profiles of the lost boys gave a much clearer face to what’s going on out there. the film also showed great inspiration as the re-settlers adjusted to their new homes, while maintaining true to their roots, and keeping that drive to be reunited with their families and yearning to help rebuild sudan. a must-see film that opened my eyes to the reality in africa and a reminder of sorts of the continuing journey of living elsewhere.

gripping documentary

the second film, another documentary is on an even heavier side of things. verdict on auschwitz covers the first auschwitz trial held in frankfurt, germany from 1963 to 1965. the story told mostly through voice recordings of survivors from the actual trial provided for a compelling reality no hollywood movie can ever match.

the complete film is a series of 3 one-hour segments and for one who's got one of the shortest attention spans, i was glued to the film. and it was a very moving/chilling 3 hours, seeing the depths to which humanity can sink. most memorable moment in the film for me was the ending of the 2nd segment. one of the defendants and one of the prosecutors were going back and forth arguing. one of the SS officers insists that even though he was a high ranking official in the camp, he knew nothing of the people being killed. a survivor takes to the stand. his words as i remember, "i find it impossible that [name of officer] knew nothing of it. even i who was there for just an hour already sensed the killings that happened. in one of the walls, in blood, i saw the writing, "[name], lived til 16." and i saw that kid, and he told me that if i ever i got out alive, to please tell her mother that to the last moment he was thinking of her... i never saw that kid again. and neither his mother." the man breaks down. wow. wow.

dystopic glimpse of the future

the last film, children of men, is not about the past. this time it takes us to 2027—a bleak yet realistic perspective of the near future. every woman on earth has become infertile. with the loss of their ability to have children, the world has also lost hope. clive owen plays theo, a briton attempting to make a life in the hellish world. his estranged wife (julianne moore) convinces him to help transport a young woman to safety. when theo learns that the woman is pregnant, their journey takes on a significance—and a danger—he never imagined. a disturbing glimpse of a highly possible future but a great reminder of what's at the core of our humanity. another great must-see film.

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for most of us, it's easy to get sucked into the daily-ness of each of our personal everydays. there are no civil wars to contend with, no reality of concentration camps to face—not much need to struggle for our rights or fight for our own lives, not much "excitement" to jolt our everyday existence. with relatively uneventful lives, it's easy to get lost in our own personal realities, forgetting our bond to history and the rest of humanity. for this reason, it was great to be reminded of what's happened in the past and to see an all too possible glimpse of the future. sure, there have been a fair share of atrocities. but in there, a considerable amount of stories of survival and heroism too. and in looking back and looking forward, we are reminded of the responsibility that's tied in the choices we make. for in the end, not only are we authors of our personal histories, we too contribute to humanity's collective history.