The Rise of Racism and Intolerance

                                

When my father spoke of his time as a POW of the Japanese during WWII, he never once blamed the evils he witnessed on one race. 

He didn't say: "Japanese people are bad." He said: "War makes people do terrible things."

I did not know what racism was until I was in my twenties, when someone I was staying with in London used a racial slur to describe a neighbor. I was stunned and very disturbed. I had no concept of disliking someone based on their race or religion - though I do remember being called a "Roast Beef" as we drove through France on our way to holidays in Spain! (I'm pretty sure we yelled "Frogs" back, much to my parent's disdain!)

I was lucky and obviously very privileged. 

I'm not saying that I am perfect. I have caught myself being swept up in 'us' and 'them' situations - mostly towards my own race I might add. 

I know we have a long way to go before the human race understands and accepts that we all rise from the same seed. There are many conversations to be had and much listening to be done before we can even begin to truly understand the depth of hurt caused by bigotry.

 However, as we collectively face the greatest threat to human civilization in memory, namely climate change, I hope we will find a way to transcend the barriers that divide us and go beyond the rhetoric being bandied about by certain political figures and hate groups. 

We can be greater than that.

Researching Pursuit of the Golden Lily exposed me to the worst of human nature. Hatred is always there, simmering beneath the surface, waiting for a hint of an excuse to burst forth.

But so is love.

So is kindness, and compassion.

What do you choose?

What kind of a world do you envision?

Let us not forget that in nature, a monoculture is doomed to extinction.

Longterm, it is only in biodiversity that life flourishes and thrives.
Speak out against racism and intolerance.
Never forget...
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is when good men do nothing."
- Edmund Burke

Mission Accomplished! Next....

                                 

Seventy-one years ago my father left Thailand, where he had endured three years as a prisoner of the Japanese Imperial Army during WWII. He recorded his experiences of that terrible time in a small brown exercise book that served as his journal. It was not for the faint hearted, the perils of writing. Any POW found with written material gambled with the fate of dire punishment, torture and even death.

And yet, Capt. Edward J. Emery risked his life anyway. Now, that diary resides in the Thailand-Burma Railway Center in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The inspiration and impetus for my journey has now come home.

I know my Dad would be content. Especially given that the names of fellow POWs listed in those pages, will help some families find closure on the unknown fate of loved ones. As a doctor, Daddy cared for, and comforted, countless men in the hospital wards he was assigned to.

Next...

.

My father taught me many things... however, my personal takeaway from this journey is the following...

Have the courage to write and speak out against injustice.

Do not allow fear to prevent you from exposing and sharing information that powerful entities would prefer to remain hidden. 

Seek the truth, even though it is always subjective.

Do not allow demagogues, bullies and fascist dictators to silence the media by tricking you into believing they are conspiring to dupe you. Yes, there are cases where the media is used as a propaganda tool, but in modern democracies there is enough information to allow populations to be discerning and fact-check the lies.

So what is next for me? I will continue to follow the sinister trail of the Golden Lily, and write the sequel to my first novel. In this way I feel I am honoring my father's legacy of writing, despite the risks involved.