2008 Woodie Awards
'To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all'
Editorial
Amanda Finnegan
Issue date: 9/29/06 Section: News
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Recently, one of the most influential writers of our time spoke at Cabrini. As the keynote speaker for the inaugural President's Convocation, Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, used his powerful past to inspire future generations.
He has written 40 books that have been published in over 40 different languages. He speaks six languages and has been a professor for 30 years, never teaching the same class twice. Although his accomplishments are far too numerous to list here, Wiesel doesn't define his life by them. "I do not see my life in accomplishments, I'm not playing a game," Wiesel said.
A main talking point for Wiesel was his struggle with his faith. A devout Jew as a child, Wiesel had to grapple with the feeling that God had abandoned him during his time in the concentration camps and after. He eventually found his way back to a faith that he was persecuted and suffered unspeakable atrocities for in the past.
Although our faiths differ, everyone can relate to a time when we would question our set of beliefs. When bad things happen to good people, when natural disasters wipe out thousands of innocent lives or when an entire population is systematically exterminated simply for what they believe in.
We like to say that we have learned from the Holocaust, but since then we have seen genocide in Rwanda and currently in Darfur, the devastating loss of lives on Sept. 11 and the wars in the Middle East. We humans are still constantly persecuting and killing others because we fail to understand each other's differences.
When we respond to violence with violence, the only thing that results is more violence. How many more Holocausts do we have to go through, how many genocides do we have to see until we finally change the way we do things? Do six million more people have to die before we take notice to the world's injustices? "To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all," Wiesel said.
In society, faith and God are used as scapegoats. People blame God for the misfortunes in their lives. Wiesel, however, has a different take on things.
He has written 40 books that have been published in over 40 different languages. He speaks six languages and has been a professor for 30 years, never teaching the same class twice. Although his accomplishments are far too numerous to list here, Wiesel doesn't define his life by them. "I do not see my life in accomplishments, I'm not playing a game," Wiesel said.
A main talking point for Wiesel was his struggle with his faith. A devout Jew as a child, Wiesel had to grapple with the feeling that God had abandoned him during his time in the concentration camps and after. He eventually found his way back to a faith that he was persecuted and suffered unspeakable atrocities for in the past.
Although our faiths differ, everyone can relate to a time when we would question our set of beliefs. When bad things happen to good people, when natural disasters wipe out thousands of innocent lives or when an entire population is systematically exterminated simply for what they believe in.
We like to say that we have learned from the Holocaust, but since then we have seen genocide in Rwanda and currently in Darfur, the devastating loss of lives on Sept. 11 and the wars in the Middle East. We humans are still constantly persecuting and killing others because we fail to understand each other's differences.
When we respond to violence with violence, the only thing that results is more violence. How many more Holocausts do we have to go through, how many genocides do we have to see until we finally change the way we do things? Do six million more people have to die before we take notice to the world's injustices? "To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all," Wiesel said.
In society, faith and God are used as scapegoats. People blame God for the misfortunes in their lives. Wiesel, however, has a different take on things.
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