Loopholes in Life

The African Slave Trade and the Holocaust. Both harsh, both uncalled for, unnecessary, and yet are so very different from each other. Where the Holocaust involved around 6 million Jewish people, the Slave Trade was roughly 12 million. Double the lives. These two massive events  were both acts of belief that people of a certain race or religion are lesser value than others. Today, we know that this is completely untrue and that we are all equal, no matter who we are. There may not be a "bright side" to these events per say, but in every dark tunnel, no matter how small, there is a speck of light. I wanted to find that speck of light, that speck of hope, from the outcome of this terrible event.

The main purpose of the Holocaust was genocide, killing off an entire race. Just putting myself in those shoes, knowing that someone wanted you dead and everyone like you, family, friends, acquaintances, strangers, all gone, compares to nothing like the actual feeling and experience. But in every dark tunnel, no matter how small, there is a speck of light. I wanted to find that speck of light, that speck of hope, from the outcome of this terrible event. A very famous individual who lived through this was Anne Frank. In "The Diary of Anne Frank", Anne talks about how close her family was and how they became even closer as they were in hiding. I think its amazing how families are split and sent off to camps, with or without each other, but this family was lucky enough to find an alternative for a while, and it impacted them in a positive way. Although their journey didn't end as they had probably hoped, they had made the best of it and they did whatever they could to take what they had and appreciate it. 

The sole purpose of the African Slave Trade was cheap labor. Stepping into that position, not being able to make decisions for yourself and then being pushed around and treated unfairly, solely because of your skin color, its not humane. Although this gained a good economy and had the landowners rich with not only money, but with people to do their work, the slaves weren't being treated as equal, and there wasn't a positive for them. It all took time, and a lot of effort, from the first slave who decided to stand up to their owner, to little things that people did like Rosa Parks, to making a huge difference. It's people like Martin Luther King Jr. who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world that they do, those are the people make things happen. As I stated, there is good in everything, and although this certain "good' took its time, it payed off. As a result of the African Slave Trade, my personal opinion through reading interviews of survivors, and merely observing the mentality of Africans throughout history, is that these people have the highest level of tolerance and perseverance. The masses of people who stood for all the inequality and unfairness, the next generation, the next, and so forth, all looked for a better outcome but couldn't see their way through. As time passed, they figured out slowly that they wouldn't stand for it anymore. This trait has been carried throughout history up to modern days and sticks with the culture and the race to hopefully live on forever. They know what they've been through, what they are capable of, and where they wanna go. 

Even though the Holocaust and the African Slave Trade were tragic events and didn't end in the greatest outcome, the people who were lucky enough to survive and live through it all, or even just carry on their legacy, they are the light at the end of the tunnel.