The Eyes in the Back of Your Head

What does it mean to remember history – to keep history in your memory? I think the answer to this question lies in the distinction between distant memory and immediate memory. This thought came to me during class today. In this particular class, we are studying Judaism as a religion and a culture. Naturally, one cannot have a class devoted to the study of Judaism without covering the Holocaust.

I have been learning about the Holocaust since I was in the sixth grade, and every time I take a course that discusses this atrocity at any length, I learn something new or come to new conclusions. However, viewing images from the ghettos and concentration camps has the same effect on me each time. Each time I wonder how people could be so cruel. And each time, I reflect upon similar genocidal acts (i.e. Sudan) and my place in society as either implicitly supportive or explicitly critical of these acts.

So what does it mean to remember? Yes, I can tell you when the Nazis invaded Poland. I remember the dates of World War II. I remember the Axis and the Allies. But what does that memory mean?

I think it is easy to put tragedies in the back of our minds because things are easier if we put them in the past – behind us. By placing these things in our distant memory, we allow ourselves to overlook or disregard new tragedies that form right in front of us. We need to use the “eyes in the back of our heads” to properly put things in perspective. In other words, we need to not let things just sit in our distant memory. We need to keep history in our immediate memory so that it is readily accessible to deal with problems that are right in front of us.

Some will read this and try to compare genocides throughout history. And the purpose of this piece is not to diminish or acknowledge one particular act of genocide in relation to another. What I really want to point out is this: It is easy to ignore Sudan if WWII Europe is in our distant memory. I do not ignore the fact that there are other elements of our (the U.S.) turning a blind eye to certain countries and people who have darker skin. At the same time, I am suggesting that because we are not truly in touch with the history of this world and the interactions of its people, we do not have the proper tools to deal with the present and are facing a dismal future.

People always say those that do not know about the past are doomed to repeat it. We do know, and we still repeat it. Therefore, it’s not about knowing only. We must have an immediate memory that allows us to apply history to the present, critique the mistakes, and bring about peace. We must have eyes in the back of our heads. Only then will we avoid repeating the tragedies of the past.