Visiting the old Jewish Town and touring some of the monuments to the tens of thousands of local citizens who l
ost their lives in camps during WWII was gut wrenching. Nothing makes history more “real” than standing in places where things actually happened. There is an unfortunate history of repeated religious persecution over hundreds of years and it kind of numbs your brain a bit pondering how people can do things to each other that just don’t make sense.
On the other side of the coin, it was inspiring to be taught how much progress and improvement has been made in Prague having been released from the grips of communism only 21 years ago. Our local friends described for us the ways they were educated in school, their lack of religious freedom, their lack of access to even basic things like ketchup, and their inability to design and control their own occupations. We were shown the very few buildings that looked run-down with broken windows and blackened walls and our local friends told us that all of Prague looked that way just 21 years ago. Now, most every building is colorful, cared for with great pride, and demonstrates a level of art and engineering that is such a strong part of Czech heritage.
The reason I mention this is because it really reminded me how lucky and blessed we are to have opportunities that some people just never get. Most of us are taught that we can achieve whatever we want. Most of us have access to opportunities that we can forge into tools to achieve our self-defined success. Most of us have the luxury of planning for the future and living as we please because our basic needs and safety are provided for. Travelling to beautiful Prague showed me how precious this is and it motivates me even more to be more in control of how I want to live so that I take full advantage of the opportunities just laying at my feet here in the U.S.
