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Posted by Bonnie Jean Smith The next day, we visited the cemetary. As we climbed the stairs up a Those who died by overmedication and starvation were buried here in the I don't know how you put closure to such an experience. I don't think I've let so much out of this story but thank you for letting me share
on July 17, 2001, 7:01 am
We stayed on the second floor of this building where they have
constructed a
hostel of sorts for people who come to visit. At first I felt very
strange
about this (there are also offfices and strangely enough, a psychiatric
clinic
here). It was as though it should be sacred and we were trespassing. I
think
going on this trip with the people with disabilities and group I was
with was
probably almost as powerful as the experience. there was something that
had
been created in this group. A mutual respect, a sense of caring among
members.
Staff weren't like staff in the sense of you have to be like this or
you can
only do this etc. I don't know what it is but it is something missing
in many
of our training programs. A number of these people were sent to this
agency
because they challenged the system and no one knew what to do with
them. One
would never know that with this group. Ironically,none of the staff
had
professional training in the sense of being social workers, teachers,
etc.
but they did look for poeple who could work with and resepct people and
they
trained them in that way. I think that the energy they brought to this
memorial , and our staying there, was as much of a tribute as anything.
It was
a sharp contrast to me when I think about what can happen on the one
hand when
there is NO respect, caring, concern,,, or simply human dignity shown
toward a
group of people. On the other hand,here was a group of people who
would have
died here being in a community where respect, caring, really knowing
each
other, and being very humane (crying, arguing, laughing) took center.
The
contrast for me is what helped me through it. Here I was an outsider
to this
group and in one day they had reached out and included me, trying so
hard to
communicate with me. Many knowing english or a few words and not
afraid to
use them (unlike so manyof the students here).
beautifully lanscaped hill you could not help to notice on your left
the
barbed wire fence 3 layers deep. This still houses those labeled
"criminally
insane" . We questioned why this was still in use but no answer was
given.
cemetary-10 deep. Of course with no names only numbers. In the late
80 ( I
believe) they made the cemetary into just a grassy area and put up
stone
images from each religion. They said the families like that they can
see the
symbol if they visit. Seemed ironic to me that this place could be
given the
appearance of a serene place where nothing happened. IT was though it
was
covered up and somehow the images of a cross, star of david and symbol
for
Islam made it all ok. What was most striking image from me here was
the stone
wall around the small graveyard . IN one small section there was a iron
gate
and I walked over and looked out through the iron bars. There I saw a
beautiful green field. It was large and expansive and the sky met it
and it
looked as though it could take you anywere. There was something about
the
field that drew you to it. That image through the wrought iron gate
that held
us in was very powerful and in many ways summed was a powerful way to
end our
stay.
you can,
nor should. Each time I re-tell the story something new overwhelms me,
or
teaches me, or even makes me smile. Maybe the sense of closure is in
the
action that you feel after being there. What we do toward others as
professionals, as friends, family and more importantly as humans I
guess is
the true test of the impact.. that too is a daily struggle. There is a
woman
psychiatrist from Norway I met who was also instrumental in bringing
the
exhibit to Norway. She is in her 70's and when she heard about htis
began
questioned how her peers could commit such acts. What she was left
with after
her pursuit was the connections that exist today, those things that
have
become part of the norms of many societies (it's certainly clear to me
in the
US). So I don't have that distancing feeling of "how could they do
this" but
rather I must ask myself.. what degrees of it do i see and am I
complicit in
any way. I'm fearful the answer is yes.
this
with you. Thanks for listening.
Peace.... your friend,
Susan
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