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Date Posted: 11:11:17 03/09/05 Wed
Author: light & shadows
Subject: Arrival at Auschwitz


ARRIVAL AT AUSCHWITZ – A VISION OF HELL
The drive from Krakow to Auschwitz, through the quiet Polish countryside, was a pleasant experience. We dozed in the bus or chatted with our neighbours. After an hour we arrived at the Franciscan monastery which has been built just outside the limits of the former concentration camp. The sun was shining as we entered the stone chapel and descended into a cave-like chamber which contained what can only be described as a ‘vision of Hell’.

The artist, Marion Kolodziej, is a survivor of Auschwitz. After the war, he worked as a scene designer in the Polish theatre. Many people knew him as a loving, kindly man – and he never mentioned his experiences. Then one day, many years later, he turned up at the Franciscan Monastery and started painting. His pictures cannot be put into words – they are the stark representations of humanity’s worst nightmares, somehow manifesting in physical form.

Marion himself spoke with great warmth, and apparent lack of animosity towards his former oppressors. He told us that “the only way to stay alive is to stay active. Never let the fire go out. Always stay human and work for the future of humanity. Never become like a robot.

“What I have painted is my own inner experience. These monsters are within each one of us. Therefore it is important to have an inner scale and constantly measure each action we do.”

http://www.yoga-vidya.de/Yoga--Artikel/Bearing_Witness_Retreat_Auschwitz.html

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