An experience for life - Robben Island

Some of the things I've begun collecting these past few years, both mentally and very literally (when possible) are quotations and wise words. Sometimes the wisest things can be said by very few words.

When one sadly never cease to be amazed and horrified by the cruelty of the humankind and its predisposition towards doing harm - one can also find hope in all those wise word and quotations, ancient as well as more recent. And of course all the good deeds that are being done all over the world.

I've recently had an experience that was one of the most horrific as well as one of the most amazing ones I've so far had in my entire life - the visit to Robben Island. Such a place of unbeliveable cruelty and yet such a place of hope and humankind's will to overcome hardship and ability to do good, even at the lowest point in life.



That experience was so unbelievably powerful and emotional, I cried my heart out then. And I still do when thinking about it. It's ok in private, it doesn't feel quite as ok when I talk to friends and acquaintances about it. Most of them just don't understand that rather overwhelming feeling of sadness. Mixed with the feeling of hope. Yet again mixed with anger, because what became of all those great ideas and hopes for a better South Africa after abolishing apartheid? And is reconciliation - the buzz-word in ZA - a reality or just a dream? Is it even possible?

A food for that thought, and every other thought along the way to making the world a better place for everyone, is one of my favourite quotes. From one of humankind's great men:

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated"