Saturday, December 31, 2011

Genocide Memorials

Today we visited both the S-21 (Tuol Seng) Prison and the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge. (Between 1975-1979 the Pol Pot regime killed close to 2 million people.) It was a very intense and powerful experience to say the least. It is one thing to read about such tragedies, but a whole other thing to be exposed to the environment of the horrors that happened there. One thing that really struck me was the memorial at the killing fields, which is essentially a tower of real human skulls nearly three stories high. I found myself stuck staring up at these skulls, transfixed by the sheer numbers. The emotion such a memorial raises is indescribable. The realization that these were all once real people presses heavy on my chest. These people were all murdered, consumed by the thousands. No amount of documentaries or books can prepare you for that.
-Kessie

4 comments:

  1. Kessie,
    Your description of your experience was profoundly moving. Thanks for sharing.
    Dan (Pierson's dad)

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  2. Wow. Thank you for sharing your feelings about the memorial and what it was like to stand, physically, in front of it.

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  3. Oh, Kess. With all that pain, know that we humans do turn toward the good as often or more so.

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  4. Thank you for the wonderful comments, guys. It was a very moving experience and I'm glad I could share it with you.

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