Tim Boswell, the Ball State University student who organized the vast display of flags in LaFollette Field, said the largest motivation for this undertaking was to give all Ball State students a small picture of how powerfully destructive hate can be. Looking across the sea of flags of different colors, it's easy to get an overwhelming sense of the devastation and pain that came from the Holocaust. It's odd to think that our own humble LaFollette Field has, if only for a week, come to represent the lives of 12 million people.
Putting the murder of 12 million people into perspective is quite a task. Indiana is a state of just over 6 million people. Reflecting on that, in the name of hate and destruction, almost twice the population of Indiana was wiped off the face of the Earth. That is what hate can do to a society.
The most powerful and unique part of this display is how it can say something a little bit different to all of us. We don't all walk away with the same thoughts running through our minds when reflecting on the significance of the flags. The fact that there are different ways to look at the flags makes the memorial deeper than it is on the surface.
For example, when I first looked out over all the flags, in my own mind I saw the sheer numbers that it represented. I saw the five thousand people represented by each flag. I saw the people lined up on trains that extend for miles. I saw the mass graves that shocked and horrified a world. For every flag there are thousands of stories to be told about suffering and about mankind.
Some may see the flags and look at the different colors. Often we forget that the Holocaust did not just affect Jews. When you look at the flags you can see Soviets, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, Poles, Gypsies and the handicapped, along with Jews. The different colors signify that anybody can be the target of hate.
To many, the flags garner up other images from our culture that represent great loss. Looking across the sea of flags can give much the same feeling as looking across the seemingly endless headstones of Arlington Cemetery or Normandy. They all convey the immense loss of life that can result when hate takes over our lives. They represent the destruction of families across Europe - all in the name of hate.
The suffering of those in the Holocaust puts our lives into a completely different perspective. It makes us think twice about the hardships we face on a day-to-day basis in America. We can all take a step back and recognize what suffering and hardship truly looks like. It makes us better people to understand what happened.
Before these flags are taken down on Friday, take a moment to find out what they represent to you. Take a moment to recognize the destructive power of hate. Hate did not just exist during the Holocaust; it is an emotion that we see to this very day. Although hate might never cause the death of another 12 million people as it did then, we still need to recognize that it is all around us and fight hate wherever we see it.
Write to Alex at apcarroll@bsu.edu
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
