Day 3: My mind shall explode with information and thoughts from ONE museum

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The Imperial War Museum (IWM) is four floors of war and its impact. My overwhelming feeling was museums should have more diversity. You can't look at 4 stories of art, history or science without reaching a mind-numbing glaze. Today, 4 floors of war, destruction, intolerance, and maximization of harm was too much. The IWM particularly focuses on WWI, its role in the occurrence of WWII and the aftermath resulting in future conflicts. At first, I was certain trench warfare was the one thing no one should experience, then it was ghettos, then concentration camps, then suicide bombings, and then what will be next? A book my teacher had me read was The Peace to End All Peace. It was about how when the Allies created the terms of peace for WWI, they failed to consider the impact of other nations and created a war where peace is not possible. The two shimmering lights in the tunnel were the display of poppy seeds coming out of the museum windows. This is a recreation of the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red which was created in 2014 to mark the centenary of the outbreak of WWI. It had 888,246 poppies one for every British or Colonial life lost at the Front during the war (just the front lines). The Wave and Weeping Window (the recreation) have been to Australia, United States and across England to commemorate the centenary of the end of WWI and will go into possession full time at the IWM. The other was a simple display across the street from the museum. An elementary school had small tags of paper attached to its iron gate with commitments from all the students about how they will contribute to peace in the world. Everyday these students are reminded of war's impact. Despite its continuation, they can commit to making the world a better place in simple ways: "I will include my classmates and new people I encounter", "I will try to say kind things to others", "I will try to understand where someone else is coming from", "I commit to talking instead of fighting"

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Comments

[Mom and Dad]

Pride...
Hello MZ-Girl, As we talk to you and read your blog, we are amazed at you and your steadfast desire to explore the world. Certainly you will make an impact on people as you continue this journey. We keep YOU in our prayers, and keep your dog in our new routine. :) Be happy, stay safe, and keep God in your days. Hopefully we can FaceTime soon. HKLL