Fifteen years ago, I took a Civilization class with Alan Keele as a freshman at Brigham Young University.
Keele is best known for his scholarship on Helmut Huebner, the German Latter-day Saint who became the youngest person executed by the Nazis for treason. Keele’s passion for justice is why I will always credit him and this class, aptly named “The Pen and the Sword,” for instilling my own thirst for justice. We read classic works of literature paired with a variety of films to examine common themes throughout history. He consistently pushed his students to ask:
“Why did such horrific atrocities like the rise of the Nazis or the Rwandan genocide happen? What can we learn from the mistakes of others? How can we avoid repeating the mistakes of the past?”
Recently, I have reflected on Sen. John Curtis’s first Senate floor speech, and his question of how, throughout history, human life became so devalued and so many people enabled atrocities.
Keele’s lessons keep coming to mind: Leaders who manipulate us and stoke fear and hatred of “the other” commit atrocities. Other leaders, who may label themselves as “good people,” let this fear rather than moral courage guide their decisions. Many ordinary people let fear stun them into silence and inaction. But there will always be those who know that silence is complicity. There will always be those who live a life of integrity and tell themselves: “Do what is right; let the consequence follow.”
History remembers and lauds courageous fighters who resisted injustice. History also warns us about those who enabled atrocities.
Given his first few months in office, the question remains: How will history remember Sen. Curtis? I know that I will always choose justice. Will he?
Jacob Newman, Millcreek
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible