Eshin Direct

I guess I’m slow with the deaths these days. Such a cheery thought. Anyway…

Via Bohemian Philosophy.

The author of the Rape of Nanking, Iris Chang, committed suicide. The book highlighted the human rights violations committed by the Japanese during the occupation of that Chinese city during World War 2. It remains one of the focal points for Chinese grievances about the Japanese and their refusal to apologise for the war. It would be easy to call it the Chinese equivalent of the Holocaust committed by the Germans but any comparison is fraught with complexity.

Anyway, it’s worth highlighting her passing since the issue she researched and championed was a worthwhile one. One wonders too whether she was too embroiled in the subject matter. I’ve seen her in a number of documentaries and interviews and she spoke with such passion as if it happened to her personally. I’d imagine in many ways it did.

I suspect though that her passion for the subject and the past drove her to her suicide. One can only play with darkness and the barbarity of man’s evil so far without it becoming all-consuming. Her work, her cause was a worthwhile one and the attention she brought to it deserved. But her zealousness and the unfortunate conclusion that it perhaps brought should equally be a reminder to us.

Man’s evil is always sensationalist and enticing. Sometimes it helps just to walk outside the door and see how far we’ve come together. It’s quite surprising although the half-empty’s amongst you might be inclined to comment that it’s not that far. One hoped that Iris Chang could have also seen that and the healing that is ever-so slowly taking place.

Tags: Political Rants