We Germans have a special responsibility to be alert, sensitive

Hear, O heirs of history, the solemn words of Angela Merkel, who bore the mantle of leadership in a land scarred by memory. She declared: “We Germans have a special responsibility to be alert, sensitive, and aware of what we did during the Nazi era and about lasting damage caused in other countries. I’ve got tremendous sympathy for that.” In these words lies both confession and command, a reminder that the past is never buried, and that the only path to dignity is through vigilance, remembrance, and compassion.

For the Nazi era was not merely a chapter in books, but a wound upon humanity. It unleashed horrors that shattered nations, extinguished millions of lives, and left scars across generations. To be born German, Merkel reminds us, is to inherit not guilt, but responsibility—the responsibility to guard against forgetting, the responsibility to resist the seeds of hatred wherever they may appear, the responsibility to extend sympathy toward those still touched by the shadow of that time. It is not a burden chosen, but one that history has laid upon the nation, and to deny it would be to invite its repetition.

History itself offers its lessons. After the fall of Athens in the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides recorded how arrogance and brutality destroyed even the greatest of city-states. But few remembered; the same errors repeated through time. By contrast, post-war Germany, guided by voices like Merkel’s, chose remembrance over denial. Memorials stand where atrocities occurred; education ensures the young are not blind to their forebears’ crimes. This enduring awareness is what keeps the flame of responsibility alive.

Consider also the story of Japan after the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That nation, too, carried the weight of war, of conquest, of suffering inflicted and endured. From the ashes rose a culture of peace, and the remembrance of destruction shaped policies that sought to prevent its return. Merkel’s words align with this truth: a nation must face its own reflection in history’s mirror, not to drown in shame, but to rise vigilant, knowing what must never be repeated.

The deeper meaning of Merkel’s declaration is this: true strength lies not in pride, but in humility. To be alert is to watch for the signs of hatred in society before they bloom. To be sensitive is to hear the cries of other nations, to understand that the damage of past violence still ripples across the world. To be aware is to never let time dull the memory of atrocity. This is the work of generations, and it is through this vigilance that a people may reclaim honor.

The lesson, O listener, is not for Germany alone, but for every nation, every community, every soul. Each carries its own past—sometimes glorious, sometimes shameful. To deny the sins of history is to walk blind into their return. But to face them, to acknowledge them, to weave remembrance into the fabric of daily life—this is to transform guilt into wisdom, and suffering into a shield against future evil.

Therefore, let Merkel’s words be your guide: in your life, when you wrong another, do not bury the memory in denial. Be alert to the harm caused, sensitive to the lasting wounds, and aware of the responsibility to act differently henceforth. Extend sympathy not only in words but in deeds, seeking to heal what was broken. In this way, you honor the past, protect the present, and safeguard the future.

And thus the teaching endures: responsibility is the price of history, and remembrance is the path to peace. A nation, like an individual, becomes immortal not by denying its wounds, but by tending them with vigilance, humility, and compassion. This is the legacy Merkel urges us to uphold, and it is the legacy that ensures the darkness of the past shall not return.