Since I came to the Netherlands, especially the city of The Hague 6 months ago to continue my Masters studies I never thought there would be something interesting in The Hague. I thought that this city was boring and I consider the Netherlands is a foreign country and certainly something about Indonesia (my country) is very difficult to find.
I am wrong!, there are a lot of Indonesian restaurants that spread to adorn this legal capital of the world. However, this was not something that surprised me and it was not my main concern in The Hague anyway. There is one thing that has changed my life forever and made me very keen in sharing information about it : The War Monuments which scattered in every corner of the city of The Hague.
I was very amazed how the city of The Hague and the Netherlands in general were very appreciative of those who were killed by the cruelty of war.
Why do I really like to review war monuments?
Because these monuments seem to invite me back to the past to feel how bitter the pain that the victim felt. Not only that, the peaceful messages contained in these monuments are present as strings of words to reconcile the heart to become a better human being in the present and future. By looking at these monuments, I feel as if I have read many motivational books that make me grateful to live in a peaceful time.
See, learn and transform! that is the sensation of my experience when visiting these war monuments. Sad, angry, crying often became one when I was on location. An unforgettable moment for me. With the increasingly chaotic world political situation, we must learn from history by seeing this monuments, read the whole picture of bitterness caused by human conflict in the past so that we do not repeat it in the future. Allowing young generations to be free from hatred caused by differences in race, skin, religion and class.
The war monuments in the City of The Hague vary greatly from the second world war monument, the monument to the Holocoust, the monuments to appreciate those who died in some of the Dutch colonies of the past and monuments to honor those who died because of defending the Dutch in the whole world.
One of the monuments that changed me completely is The Dutch East Indies Memorial.
Why? because the message in it really touched my deepest heart. How do I witness the fact that victims of war in my country who were at the time still called “Dutch East Indies” often involved women, children and other innocent groups. How they must feel pain life caused by greed and greed of some people. The monument also provides teaching how important it is to respect one another, love one another and prevent future conflicts in the future for mutual peace.
That changed me a lot, to be a person who values life more and I’m sure that will also change the people who see this war monument. I hope I will often share information about the existence of these war monuments so as to provide similar inspiration to other people who read them.
