Two figures walk away in synchrony from a memorial in Dachau concentration camp, humbled, frightened, and hopeful.
Taken at one of the memorials at the Dachau concentration camp in Germany. The solemn atmosphere and tangible proof that the holocaust actually happened evoked fear in me, fear that humanity could actually have done such things. However, looking around at the crowds, I saw all different cultures of people with different backgrounds, different beliefs, and different ways of living, but they all had the same sense of respect, fear, and disbelief. This observation overshadowed the fear, evoking hope and strangely alleviating my sense of unease. This feeling of hope, while strong and calming, was still slightly tainted by the fact that we are still human - while we can learn from past, it still happened, and we need to move forward with caution.