Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Survivorship and Searching for Truth

During my journey through recovery from abuse, I have occassionally come back to the idea of searching my memory for "the truth." There were times that this search helped me a great deal. Eventually I realize that indeed the abuse did happen to me and I felt that I had "proved" it to myself.

Once I became clear that it did indeed happen, I knew my truth and began to deal with it. I didn't need to prove it to myself anymore. I believed the horror which I knew deep down.

For surivors of other great tragedies, the search for truth can also become important.

This morning I learned of the death of Simon Wiesenthal. Wiesenthal survived the Holocaust. Of course, his life was forever inrevocably changed by the hatred, horror and torture unleased by the Nazis on too many people. Wiesenthal took his search for freedom after the Holocaust and turned it into a search for truth. Specifically, a search for the Nazis who were denying their actions. He became known as the "Nazi hunter". His death today, at age 96, leaves a hole in the universe.

May his memory be a blessing.

Many have written about his life much better than I can. Some links include:
Simon Wiesenthal Center Obituary
Ha'aretz Obituary
Biography of Wiesenthal's life (by the SWC)
Jerusalem Post Obituary

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