In a city where history is etched into every street corner, Berlin’s memorials offer urgent lessons about democracy’s fragility and authoritarianism’s dangers.
"Berlin doesn’t allow forgetting. It has accepted the burden of witness, understanding that confronting historical wrongs provides the strongest inoculation against their return. The city says: Look at what happened here. Look at what humans did to other humans. Look at what became possible when democratic safeguards eroded."
This gives me hope. And I am hopeful we understand and realize quickly.
A beautifully written explanation of what the world is facing. I’m trying hard to stay hopeful, but it’s hard to imagine with our present government. If Berlin can succeed after the wall was torn down, we here, where Democracy has thrived, should not give up hope. Thank you for the inspiration, Alexander.
Landing on the tarmac in Frankfurt, West Germany, as we called it in 1987, I was met with German Guards hoisting submachine guns on their hips. A solemn reminder: You're not in Kansas anymore. As we traveled around West Germany, we made a stop at the Berlin Wall. Having seen nothing like this before, I was amazed Germany had walled off half of its people.
Traveling NE from Berlin to Garmisch, we entered Nazi stronghold territory. Close to the Austrian Border, and host to 1936 Winter Olympics, which Nazis used to showcase their power and ideology, I saw the power of the Hitler Regime. I was also met by proud German people, who respected their culture and were so welcoming to these "clueless Americans".
Now America is at a crossroads. Which way will we go? Seeing the stark reality of fascism taking hold, I remember 1987 clearly. I remember the sheer beauty of the German countryside and her welcoming people, 45 years after Hitler was defeated. I remember touring the Holocaust Museum in DC and literally feeling weak at the knees.
I also remember the words spoken there: "We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere." And interfere, I believe we will; it has already begun. We owe it to ourselves, our country, and future generations. Our voices rise. Our songs are heard.
In '85 I was returning home after a lengthy stay in Europe. I was pulled from line at Frankfurt Airport by armed soldiers and taken to a room where my two bags had received a "going over" then asked many question. There had been a bombing at the airport a few days prior. I was released. National security friends told me I resembled the French girlfriend of someone infamous. That's when I remembered the soldiers first spoke to me in French. Chilling. The world is wary. My mother had always been afraid to travel to Berlin because our passports showed German birth.
Your essay makes me wonder why so many are anxious and willing to erase parts of our history that are not pretty.
Changing names of this or that, taking down statues and memorials of defeated confederate generals for example. Most recently scrubbing the “BLACK LIVES MATTER” painted in bright yellow. It was planned, not sure if completed.
I attended high school at ROBERT E. LEE HIGH SCHOOL in Huntsville, AL, the state where so much civil rights history has played out; the crossing of the Edmond Pettus Bridge by Martin Luther King and a massive following endorsing voting rights; the Black church in Birmingham bombed murdering four young girls for the color of their skin; the ultimate segregationist, George Wallace, who blocked the school house doors. Attempted assassination resulted in paraplegia. It seems we cannot agree on much of anything and that is ridiculous. Tolerance of the “other” has been lost since our founding fathers’ origins. Time for progressive change. Excellent piece. 😘
Yes, many countries missed this lesson.
"Berlin doesn’t allow forgetting. It has accepted the burden of witness, understanding that confronting historical wrongs provides the strongest inoculation against their return. The city says: Look at what happened here. Look at what humans did to other humans. Look at what became possible when democratic safeguards eroded."
This gives me hope. And I am hopeful we understand and realize quickly.
Another remarkable essay. Thank you.
Thank you, Rena. We all need hope these days.
A beautifully written explanation of what the world is facing. I’m trying hard to stay hopeful, but it’s hard to imagine with our present government. If Berlin can succeed after the wall was torn down, we here, where Democracy has thrived, should not give up hope. Thank you for the inspiration, Alexander.
Thank you, Anne. Let's hope that, somehow, sanity returns in time.
Landing on the tarmac in Frankfurt, West Germany, as we called it in 1987, I was met with German Guards hoisting submachine guns on their hips. A solemn reminder: You're not in Kansas anymore. As we traveled around West Germany, we made a stop at the Berlin Wall. Having seen nothing like this before, I was amazed Germany had walled off half of its people.
Traveling NE from Berlin to Garmisch, we entered Nazi stronghold territory. Close to the Austrian Border, and host to 1936 Winter Olympics, which Nazis used to showcase their power and ideology, I saw the power of the Hitler Regime. I was also met by proud German people, who respected their culture and were so welcoming to these "clueless Americans".
Now America is at a crossroads. Which way will we go? Seeing the stark reality of fascism taking hold, I remember 1987 clearly. I remember the sheer beauty of the German countryside and her welcoming people, 45 years after Hitler was defeated. I remember touring the Holocaust Museum in DC and literally feeling weak at the knees.
I also remember the words spoken there: "We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere." And interfere, I believe we will; it has already begun. We owe it to ourselves, our country, and future generations. Our voices rise. Our songs are heard.
Thank you for interfering, Alex.
Thank you, Sharon, I can’t interfere but I can tell stories to warn, remind, or inspire. I loved reading about your experiences in Germany.
Well, I think that may be "good interference". Keep ringing those bells.
In '85 I was returning home after a lengthy stay in Europe. I was pulled from line at Frankfurt Airport by armed soldiers and taken to a room where my two bags had received a "going over" then asked many question. There had been a bombing at the airport a few days prior. I was released. National security friends told me I resembled the French girlfriend of someone infamous. That's when I remembered the soldiers first spoke to me in French. Chilling. The world is wary. My mother had always been afraid to travel to Berlin because our passports showed German birth.
What a frightening experience!
Your essay makes me wonder why so many are anxious and willing to erase parts of our history that are not pretty.
Changing names of this or that, taking down statues and memorials of defeated confederate generals for example. Most recently scrubbing the “BLACK LIVES MATTER” painted in bright yellow. It was planned, not sure if completed.
I attended high school at ROBERT E. LEE HIGH SCHOOL in Huntsville, AL, the state where so much civil rights history has played out; the crossing of the Edmond Pettus Bridge by Martin Luther King and a massive following endorsing voting rights; the Black church in Birmingham bombed murdering four young girls for the color of their skin; the ultimate segregationist, George Wallace, who blocked the school house doors. Attempted assassination resulted in paraplegia. It seems we cannot agree on much of anything and that is ridiculous. Tolerance of the “other” has been lost since our founding fathers’ origins. Time for progressive change. Excellent piece. 😘
Thank you, Judith
I believe racism is the basis of so many of our differences, immigration included.
"Berlin teaches us that societies must choose between confronting painful truths or burying them, between learning from history or repeating it."
I worry because those history lessons don't seem to have been heard.
Thank you for this.
👏👏
Thank you, Lizzie, you made me smile :-)