The Fall of the Wall

Although i managed to write very little in October, that doesn't mean i didn't do anything. i'll get around to writing about it, but i think there's more important stuff at the moment to write about.

Today, the 9th of November, twenty years ago, the border separating the DDR (East Germany) and West Germany was opened (perhaps the passive "was opened" is even too active, as the opening was rather spontaneous). For many, this event may have no meaning and lack any significance, however, i can assure you of its importance. As one tv commentator said this evening (my translation), "the real miracle of the wall's collapse, is that a regime built with violence fell peacefully, without bloodshed." Now, i think "without bloodshed" refers to the actual end of the DDR, because to say that the peaceful freedom movement in the DDR was without victims is not accurate. And regardless of who claims to be responsible for the Mauerfall (Reagan, Hasslehof, etc), the real driving force behind the Mauerfall came from the people themselves (rhetorical question: can a people who don't want freedom be freed?). Twenty years ago an era came to an end. An oppressed people had the chance for a life in a democracy, as one man interviewed put it (my translation), "i was free; free to travel and free to think." I will leave the judgement call on whether or not it is a better life up to you, because there are arguments on both sides, but it does make you think, what value do i give my freedom (freedom; to think, to choose, to participate, or to not participate, to not think, to not choose). Essentially, the Mauerfall was the end of the Cold War, opening democracy to a larger part of the world. My final comment on this day-- the broad experience of a nation dealing with the past (war, starvation, holocaust, communism, etc) has learned something about the human condition. The past is the past. The past will remain the past. what is important, is how we continue with the lessons learned from the past. Angela Merkel spoke about this to the US Congress in the last week or so (i'm curious, was there any coverage of that in the US?) and reiterated it today. In general, what she has been saying (and will continue to do so), is that WE (yes, the USA is included) as humanity must continue to demolish "walls" in our world (such as intolerance*, hate*, climate change, injustice*, war, hunger, oppression*, you know, the bad stuff that we know still exists even if it isn't every day in the news) and that just because one wall fell, doesn't mean our work is finished. I think the significance of the Mauerfall is greater than I will ever be able to grasp. quite overwhelming stuff to ponder, but i would like to recapitulate on what i feel is the most important element:

• the Mauerfall (a goal, in the most reduced form) was achieved through a peaceful movement of people cooperating together (redundant, i know, but for the sake of emphasis, i believe a writer/blogger can do whatever he or she wants, but i digress...)

*it should be noted that November 9th was also a very bad day in German history (Kristallnacht) and that this element was not ignored in Germany, but put into context. By that I mean, mentioned, not dwelt upon, and the lesson therefrom incorporated into the what-we-as-humanity-need-to-do part.