We know nothing

"How come people never heard of this?" Because there's an incredible amount of information out there that doesn't reach everyone. Quite often because they're simply not interested. It may surprise some, but not everyone knows that an actor who was famous for his role in a New Zealand soap in the eighties just had his third great grandchild.

And I wish I was exaggerating but the person who told me this was actually surprised that I - as someone who didn't grow up in New Zealand - didn't know who he was.

Because people care more about what happens in their own world, they seem impervious to information from outside that bubble. And not everyone is curious about other people, their background, their culture. 

It's why there are so many bigots.

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I'm lucky to have many different friends. From all kinds of backgrounds, religions, skin colours and countries. When a friend from Lithuania posted a past date past on her socials, I heard a tiny bell ringing in the back of my head. I want the bells in my head to be silent so I looked up why that date seemed so familiar. Does 'The Vilnius Massacre' ring a bell with you?

It was January 16th 1991 and the people of Lithuania marched against their Russion occupiers. After the Baltic States were forcibly annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, resistance broke out. In the case of Lithuania succesful because they managed to regain their independence. Unfortunately at the cost of many lives.

"Yeah, but Lithuania was once part of the Russian Empire so the Russians have every right to take it back!" Sure. And US territories once belonged to native tribes. Should they take back Manhattan by force?

Because Hungary was once part of the Ottoman Empire, the Turks should have it?

The Netherlands was once under German rule, but also under Spanish rule and under French rule. Who is more entitled to The Netherlands: the Germans, French, the Spanish or the Dutch?