Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

I take the Holocaust personally, since it wiped out the last of my mother’s family (the Cossacks had already gotten most of my father’s). I believe that the most important reason to remember the Holocaust is so another one doesn’t happen—whether to the Jews or another group.

Here are some thoughts for you to ponder, but I’m skipping most of the commentary today, it would just dilute the impact.

It is deeply shocking and incomprehensible to me that despite volumes of documentation and living witnesses who can attest to the horrors of the Holocaust, there are still those who would deny it. –Mark Udall

This is one of two attitudes that enrage me, the other centers on the growing ranks of those who want to repeat it.

The Holocaust also shows us how a combination of events and attitudes can erode a society’s democratic values.

The Holocaust illustrates the consequences of prejudice, racism and stereotyping on a society. It forces us to examine the responsibilities of citizenship and confront the powerful ramifications of indifference and inaction. –two from Tim Holden

“The Holocaust is not only a tragedy of the Jewish people, it is a failure of humanity as a whole.” –Moshe Katsav

First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Social Democrats, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Social Democrat. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew, Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me. — Pastor Martin Neimoller

I remember this one from school; it’s worth repeating as the world grows more intolerant.

Holocaust Remembrance Day isn’t a laughing matter, but I wanted to leave you on a lighter note and maybe even a chuckle or two. To that end, my final offering is a Quayleism.

The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation’s history. I mean in this century’s history. But we all lived in this century. I didn’t live in this century. –Dan Quayle

Image credit: Piku on sxc.hu

For those of you too young to know, Simon Wiesenthal was an Austrian-Jewish architectural engineer until the advent of Hitler. He survived three death camps in a four year period and became a world renowned, or reviled depending on your sympathies, Nazi hunter.

Wiesenthal’s words may have their roots in the Holocaust, but they apply equally well to today’s geopolitical situation, as well as more mundane stuff like work. You might think I’m exaggerating, but if you tone down the power of his words you’ll find a reflection of the office bully; the pointy haired manager; and other situations you face on a daily basis.

If you know from history the danger, then part of the danger is over because it may not take you by surprise as it did your ancestors.

Ancestors aside, tracking the historical actions of the people in your world protects you from being taken unaware.

Violence is like a weed – it does not die even in the greatest drought.

There are many kinds of violence and not all of them involve bodily harm; psyches are gossamer; abuse exists in many contexts.

What connects two thousand years of genocide? Too much power in too few hands.

Think this doesn’t apply to business? Think of the lives destroyed by Enron, the banking crisis, Bernard Madoff—there are many kinds of death and the destruction of dreams and hope is a type that often goes unacknowledged.

For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.

True since time began, but good men and women often do nothing in and out of the business world.

Technology without hatred can be a blessing. Technology with hatred is always a disaster.

Technology covers a great deal of ground; in itself it is benign, but, like a car, it can maim and kill when mixed with anger, fear, hate or carelessness.

Freedom is not a gift of heaven, you have to fight for it every day,

Your personal fight is against whatever enslaves or endangers you, no matter the source. Just be sure in fighting that you don’t inflict the same damage on your foes.

Humour is the weapon of unarmed people: it helps people who are oppressed to smile at the situation that pains them.

And it is humor that wreaks the most havoc on your foes in the business world.

Human rights is the only ideology that deserves to survive,

Ideology has cost our world its peace, prosperity and maybe its future. Ideology eliminates rationality; I honestly believe that the minute people start thinking ‘yours is wrong, mine is right’ the trouble begins—and usually escalates.

Your comments—priceless

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Image credit: Liz Henry on flickr

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: Ale_Paiva CC license Leadership belongs to those who lead and who leads better than Rush Limbaugh? He must be a leader since Clear Channel is paying him a one hundred million dollar sign-on bonus and $38 million a year for eight years. But it seems to me that the only difference between Limbaugh and radicals of other political and moral persuasions around the world is his paycheck and the focus of his hate, bigotry and fanaticism Announced just in time for our annual celebration of freedom it’s nice to know that hate, bigotry, and fanaticism are worth more here than in other countries—in the Middle East people spew it for free. The comments are especially interesting, If Mr. Grasso can get his huge retirement and "W" can get elected twice, than Mr Limbaugh obviously deserves $400 mil. I still won't listen to his clipping service rants. P.T. Barnum had nothing on this character. --Jerry McG, Hartford, Ct. In the immortal words of P.T. Barnum, "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." --Jeff Cox, Tacoma, WA Apparently there is no ceiling to the price Americans are willing to pay for gas. --Expat, Nova Scotia My best wishes for a safe and happy holiday!

What do you think?