Jan 27, 2005 marks the 60th anniversary of liberation of the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp during WWII. It is reported that Russian President Putin, German President Koehler, French President Chirac, Israeli President Katsav and Polish President Kwasniewski are ready to attend the ceremony.

The Nazis killed about 4 million people in all concentration camps during WWII. On Jan 27 1945 the Soviet Red Army liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp, thereby saving 7, 000 survivors, including 130 children.

More and more survivors have passed away in the past 60 years, but numerous tragic stories still remain in people��s memory, making them deep in contemplation.

This writer Huang Qing once visited the Memorial and Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Its simple but creative arrangement of the exhibits on display helps the people remember the tragic history of the Jews. Walking down the dark aisle inside the memorial hall for victimized children surrounded by twinkling candlelight that symbolizes the flame of life, one will feel the fragility yet the indomitableness of life in the reign of silence.

To forget or to remember, to forgive or to revenge, this is a choice to make after the tragedy. The survivors have their different ways and reasons of choice. But what is more important is to find out why the tragedy took place. Reflecting on the root cause of the tragedy maybe of greater significance.

How did Hitler come to power? He was pushed on to the government stage by German voters and driven to the pinnacle of power by national craze. This writer had lived in Germany for some time. The serious, responsible and careful attitude of Germans deserves utmost respect. But why had they made the detour in history? Goethe had made an exposition on the German nationals, saying: Every German is excellent as individual, but taken as a whole they are pitiful. History has proved a nation, under certain circumstances, would probably fall into a state of narrow-minded ideological craze, a collective irrationality and hence a loss of their common sense and adherence to basic human values.

What is Nazism? It is racialism by value orientation, which advocates the Teutonic race is a ��master race�� and the Jews ��inferior race��. By promoting narrow-nationalism, it seized power, internally, it launched ethnic cleansing in Germany and externally waged aggressive wars. It was in this way that Nazism brought about a great catastrophe to human race; it was in this way that the Germans committed lots of crimes in their pitiful narcissism (or self-love) of the nation.

The Germans had made profound reflections on themselves after WWII. The former German Chancellor Willy Brandt knelt down in front of a monument to the Jewish victims in Warsaw. The former German President Roman Herzog begged the Polish people to pardon the Nazi crimes during his visit to Poland for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp. Germans�� sincere self-examination has won forgiveness and the nation has regained self-pride. But people must note that the gene of gene which produces Nazism still hide exists, hiding itself here or there in one way or another. Kindhearted people must be vigilant against it.

Time passes unavoidably and it will flush the memory away, which also seems unavoidable. The recent news that Prince Harry of the UK wears Nazi uniforms once again remind people how terrible the loss of memory is. In 60 years, tragedy has turned a trifling matter in the eyes of certain people. The victims would not close their eyes in the nether world should they learned about this.

By People's Daily Online