Vocation

This week has been quite a whirlwind of experiences. On Wednesday, I stopped by the Women in the World Conference on Climate Change and Faith Community. I went to keynote speaker Dr. Rebecca Copeland’s talk about Stephen Cohen’s literal, interpretive, and implicatory forms of denial in relation to climate change. It was interesting to hear her perspective and I really do believe the faith community can mobilize people to take action. Dr. Copeland mentioned that someone said that all education should be about environment, and when we leave it out, we imply that it is not important. I have not thought about it that way, and do agree that it is important to critically integrate awareness on what nature provides and the vulnerabilities we are facing now, especially as weather patterns have been alarming.

On Thursday, I met Sid Handler the Holocaust survivor and his wife Claire through the “Memory in the Living Room” event held by Hillel in Marsh Chapel. I was reminded of reading the book Night by Elie Wiesel in high school. It was a life changing experience to hear his story of living in the Vilna ghetto, hiding in the floorboards of the attic for months, escaping from the HKP labor camp with his mother, and finally coming to the U.S., attending BU, working in real estate, and meeting his wife on a blind date. It was heart wrenching to hear that he still hears the soldiers’ footsteps when he sits alone in the car. I cannot fathom the atrocities of children being shot without reason and am in awe of how Sid and his mother carried on with life. The questions the audience asked were very thought-provoking as well. For example — how will we remember these survivors and their stories after their generation has passed away? I am grateful for the opportunity to have met these two lovely people, and I certainly hope when I am 80 years old, I will still be able of recall of sitting in the Thurman Room, listening to Sid recount of this piece of history and tell it to others as a witness.