From Aaron Paquette: In Canada, survivors of the Residential School system, and their directly affected children and grandchildren are often told to just, “Get over it.” The Indigenous people of North America are survivors of a monumental and horrifying colonial expansion and attempted genocide that is ongoing today. But when we talk about the Nazi Holocaust, we don’t tell people to get over it. We have monuments and museums. It’s required learning in school. After 9/11 the call was, “Never Forget.” So I say to those who have suffered, that are suffering, don’t get over it. Get through it, as we’ve talked about. But never forget. Never forget so that this nightmare might be averted for others in the future. Add it to the cultural memory and the wisdom teachings of our various peoples. Never forget. Heal, but always remember. Just as we know not to eat poison berries, let’s always remember the rotten fruit of human growth based on greed, murder and lies. On sickness and dogma and dehumanization. Hold your government, your institutions, you society and yourself to higher expectations and standards.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 08:41:40 +0000