Dear Dad… You lived your first 30 years growing up in the Depression, under oppressive regimes of Hitler, Stalin, and labour camps. You danced with death, painfully, and often.
Your next 50 years were lived in daily discrimination for your accent, your background, your physical, mental, emotional impairments, and then ultimately, your age.. You had every reason to NOT love humanity. EVERY reason to give up on us. But you didn’t. Why not?
Because of an idea. Someone taught you, a simple belief that harmony was achievable. And necessary. I saw your outward struggles, but I bore witness to your strength of spirit. And ideas.
You were mocked for your ideas – such as: planting community gardens instead of grass… designing autonomous cars… finding microbial life on other planets, tidal power, and even travelling to Mars. They weren’t silly ideas. You were just ahead of your time.
And so, I hold onto one of your “silly” futuristic ideas. That harmony is possible… and it is a journey…. And in many places that we have it- we can expand on it… within us, and around us…
I won’t give our power away when it comes to human rights. I will try to find paths to respect other humans and their ways.
Unless their ways are intended to cause pain. And Dad, in those cases, I will think of you and stand. And when I wanna angrily slap some people upside the head, I will try first to use my voice – write, share, educate, speak, walk, talk, sing, and break bread with those whose paths intersect with mine. To move conversations forward.
They made you tough, Dad. And you were very tough on me. But today, I humbly thank you for that. Because of you, and what you lived, I will always stand for peace, humanity, and equality. Thank you. I #remember. ❤
Rose Reiter 