Holding exhibits is propaganda, and a very good one at that, especially done it a graphic fashion since people tend to be attracted to visual images, and not lengthy works of words. And it proves successful when it not just captures the attention of passersby, but also penetrates the consciousness of that seemingly indifferent person of the importance of the thought propagated.
The ’39 Exhibit, a product of the cooperative efforts of the Department of European Languages composed of the faculty, staff, and students, was held last August 10 to commemorate the Spanish Civil War, its atrocities, the horrors and madness that follow belligerent activities. It aims to spread awareness of the evils of war, how it hampers the development of a country, the psychological effects on people, especially the young ones who lived during the wars, and to say the least, mass murder of fellow human beings over something so trivial. Here, we get to see not just poems condemning war and military actions, but also a collection of drawings and caricatures where one can see the manifestations of war imposed upon the consciousness of young innocent minds.
An old typewriter was installed on a wooden table where people are encouraged to write their thoughts on war. In line with the peace advocacy project, I typed out the following on a clean sheet of paper, “No se conoce la paz sin la guerra. Las guerras de ayer sirven como una lección para que no cometamos los mismos errores.” Paradoxes are cool ways to send out a message. Not only do they entail reflection on the reader’s part, they also make people marvel at how seemingly illogical words can actually ring true. Remembering a famous saying that one can not acknowledge the value of something unless it’s gone, I set out to have a play on words, thus producing something like the abovementioned sentence. It’s a more concrete form of the saying from which I derived it, I believe. It’s pretty much like the very things we take for granted. There would be no concept of health if there is an absence of diseases. There would be no wisdom if there’s no folly. In the same way, we never know what we have until it’s snatched away from us. If people lived in constant peace, they would have never thought of the concepts of peace and unrest.
But does it mean that we have to wage war against anyone anytime just so we can learn peace? The hell no! History provides us more than enough wars to make us think before we act. All one has to do is read historical accounts, from the turbulent period of warring states in China, to the age-old rivalries between Israel and Palestine, to the infamous World Wars, not to mention several civil wars. I can go on and on enumerating wars in history and the reason why they are in the pages of history is precisely because they serve as a reminder of human frailty when faced with lust for power and dominance. Truth shall set us free, as the popular saying goes, and we cannot be so without acknowledging our own weaknesses. By admitting that evil resides in us, we may learn to overcome it by being good.
Pardon me for the slight digression but I feel the need to write a little concerning the Book Exhibit whose aim is to encourage people to read about wars. The Book Exhibit was also a sign of a fight against intellectual repression, citing famous book-burning events in history. Many have been written about wars, but few immerse themselves in them. “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them,” says Joseph Brodsky. That this ’39 exhibit follows the Book Exhibit is a good way to make people reflect on what they have read. Flaubert once said that one must not read to amuse oneself nor for the purpose of instruction, but to live. I find that very true. For reading without reflection and without learning about life is like not reading at all.
There was also a board wherein Machado’s incomplete poem was written and people are asked to complete it. The given line was “Estos dias azules y este sol de infancia…” Here is an attempt to continue the poem from yours truly:
Estos dias azules y este ssol de infancia…
Una voz del futuro, suave y fuerte.
En el fondo del alma y de la memoria,
Aquellas noches oscuras y aquella luna de la muerte…
Indeed, we learn more when we are immersed in something. Indeed we learn more when we are involved. In these exhibits, we not only become aware of the threats of war, we also become more protective of peace.
for Miracle's friends, Miracle's family and Miracle's online buddies
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