Memoria [EN] No. 5 / February 2018 | Page 13

changed that much in the last two or three generations?

Before we meet in two years’ time, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (constituting the culminating point of the 15th International Holocaust Remembrance Day) we should ask ourselves several questions to ensure this day does not become yet another commemorative event, with the same words and phrases being repeated, taking the form of slogans movingly placed within the familiar shots of outlines of camp architecture.

What is happening to our world? What is happening to us? Has the memory ceased to constitute a commitment? And if it is hope which dies last, then where else is it to be rooted if not in memory? Do we really have to complain about a lack of vision in order to justify our shallowness in reinforcing the good? Does lack of authority justify the promotion of vanity? Should the lack of statesmen allow for the emergence of voices that are not mature enough to handle their own responsibility?

Have the results of opinion polls and social media memes become a permanent dictate of our choices? Does the market really need only those who are convinced of their inherent right to convenience and who do not realize that they also have duties, however uncomfortable they are? Are we really able to smother the feelings of our objective and tangible responsibilities so efficiently, sitting peacefully behind the door of our “incapacity to do anything” even with respect to the biggest tragedies?

In a culture which tries to live

Photo: Mikołaj Grynberg

Today we see that these post-war efforts – however legitimate and well thought-out they seem – do not withstand the test of time. We are unable to efficiently react to new manifestations of genocidal frenzy. Starvation and death caused by continuous fights between different groups in central Africa are not treated as priorities by our governments.

The arms trade and exploitation of practically free labour overwhelm the poorest regions of the world. The United Nations has ceased to guarantee any kind of hope. The European Union is devoured by internal apathy. At the same time, our democracies suffer from an increase in populism, national egotism and new forms of extreme hate speech. The remilitarization of relationships between people desecrates our streets and cities. Have we really