Poem

[PrinceMyshkin]

Not to be scarred
by the Holocaust
is to live something less
than a fully human life.

[Sweets America]

At first, I said "not sure...", but then I thought, well, you might be right because suffering is so much a part of human life that not experiencing such great suffering is not to live a fully human life, in a way... in the bad meaning of the term 'human'.

When you think of the Holocaust, don't you understand Kerouac's sentence "I feel guilty for being a member of the human race" ? I do.

[Captain_Kuchiki]

Just 17 words in four lines said a lot to me. I agree with Sweets America's point that suffering and being scarred is what sets us apart. I mean, a deer could be almost killed and survive, but it won't be haunted or dwell on that the way a person would.

[Sweets America]

Just 17 words in four lines said a lot to me. I agree with Sweets America's point that suffering and being scarred is what sets us apart. I mean, a deer could be almost killed and survive, but it won't be haunted or dwell on that the way a person would.

I cannot agree with the bold part in this. I mean, how do you know/why do you assume that a deer or any other animal cannot be haunted by anything?

[ampoule]

I cannot agree with the bold part in this. I mean, how do you know/why do you assume that a deer or any other animal cannot be haunted by anything?

I quite agree with you, Sweets. I used to watch my darling Siouxsie (black lab mix) dream, her eyes rolling, her lips quivering, whining, her legs moving as if she was running. I wanted to think she was having a happy dream of running and playing but sometimes I had to reach down and touch her, to bring her back to the surface because her dream seemed so painful. I don't know what that would be because she had such a happy life, but still...

I don't feel guilty for being part of the human race because I had no control over my birth. I do feel great sadness though. I wonder what it is in humans that causes us to hurt one another. Maybe it's some misplaced need to literally lock horns for a mate or territory.

And about Poem. It's true, Prince, how can we not be scarred by the holocaust....and slavery and other horrific things? But, I don't know if I am really scarred by those or just very very sad. It seems those with personal connections are more scarred. Some of us are just as scarred by animal cruelty or learning our child has been molested.

[goldenrod]

What it is in humans, is our animal origins and our enhanced ability to think...

This short poem makes me think, not on the dark-side, but to remind me that, we also can be scarred by the atrocities suffered by others.

goldenrod.

[zuozuo]

Men's life is elapse of dreams;we are munder of ourselves;

we'll bear that what we have done..