(no subject)
Today I've started to read a wonderful book, "The white rose", by Inge Scholl. Does her name sound familiar to you? It would be good if it were so. Hans and Sophie Scholl, together with many other german students, were the center of a group of students in Munich who stood in resistance to the nazi regime in the middle of the last century.
It is an awesome read, and more than once brought tears to my eyes. And an enormous relief. Not all germans were nazis. Yes, many hid from their responsibility, but many others also were hopelessly encircled by the nazi machine. But that was the case with the Scholls too. Yet they did something.
Their biography is very honest. Like many other german youths they had been deceived by the Nazis too. They found, love for their homeland could not be a bad thing. Sticking more together as a nation could not be a bad thing. Improving Germany's situation could not be a bad thing. But unlike many others, they didn't stop thinking for themselves. Which eventually changed their views radically. First they emigrated into the inward. Into the christian-humanist family, into the religion, into poetry, philosophy and art. But at some point, they stood up. Knowing what they were facing if caught, they knew that something had to be done. Like many other german resistants of the conservative spectrum they dreamt of a liberation of Germany from the inside out. They hoped for a revolution.
As history shows, they did not succeed with that goal. But they helped save something. Call it honor, call it the german face. They help young germans like me not to be thrown off german history with total disgust. SOME people cared.
My old life I spend in a communist background, in former communist east germany. I kinda thought communism and socialism had the monopoly on resistance against fascism. But that's not the truth. There were german christians, catholics, protestants, and others, who knew what was going on. The white rose gives a good example of that. There were no ultraheroic deeds like assassinations or guerilla warfare. Maybe there should have been such things. But people did what they did - trying to save the dignity of everyday life in peace and trust between neighbor and neighbor. They and others like Bonhoeffer gave us a gift, an idea. And I think I can see God's hands there. Sophie Scholl, shortly before her execution by the nazis, had a dream in which she was wearing a bride's clothing to carry a baby, her idea, to the baptism. She was wandering through the mountains, and there was an abyss before her. She fell down, but not before being able to place the baby at the side of the abyss. Her idea lives on.
I think there was a movie about them some time ago. I didn't see it, but I will see whether I can get the DVD some day. If you want to check it, here's the wikipedia link. It's pretty interesting as well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_rose
It's wonderful that there were such people, and that they were christians. It shows that we are not called to the supergreat feats, but there are things we all can do. A little bit of heroism is in all of us. We only need to find this spark in us. Jesus had it too, the bible calls Him a hero too in accounts of the OT, the hero of the tribe of Judah. I read this book and felt God touch me. I haven't had this for a long time. Thanks, Hans and Sophie, thanks Christoph, thanks Alex and Kurt and all the others.
It is an awesome read, and more than once brought tears to my eyes. And an enormous relief. Not all germans were nazis. Yes, many hid from their responsibility, but many others also were hopelessly encircled by the nazi machine. But that was the case with the Scholls too. Yet they did something.
Their biography is very honest. Like many other german youths they had been deceived by the Nazis too. They found, love for their homeland could not be a bad thing. Sticking more together as a nation could not be a bad thing. Improving Germany's situation could not be a bad thing. But unlike many others, they didn't stop thinking for themselves. Which eventually changed their views radically. First they emigrated into the inward. Into the christian-humanist family, into the religion, into poetry, philosophy and art. But at some point, they stood up. Knowing what they were facing if caught, they knew that something had to be done. Like many other german resistants of the conservative spectrum they dreamt of a liberation of Germany from the inside out. They hoped for a revolution.
As history shows, they did not succeed with that goal. But they helped save something. Call it honor, call it the german face. They help young germans like me not to be thrown off german history with total disgust. SOME people cared.
My old life I spend in a communist background, in former communist east germany. I kinda thought communism and socialism had the monopoly on resistance against fascism. But that's not the truth. There were german christians, catholics, protestants, and others, who knew what was going on. The white rose gives a good example of that. There were no ultraheroic deeds like assassinations or guerilla warfare. Maybe there should have been such things. But people did what they did - trying to save the dignity of everyday life in peace and trust between neighbor and neighbor. They and others like Bonhoeffer gave us a gift, an idea. And I think I can see God's hands there. Sophie Scholl, shortly before her execution by the nazis, had a dream in which she was wearing a bride's clothing to carry a baby, her idea, to the baptism. She was wandering through the mountains, and there was an abyss before her. She fell down, but not before being able to place the baby at the side of the abyss. Her idea lives on.
I think there was a movie about them some time ago. I didn't see it, but I will see whether I can get the DVD some day. If you want to check it, here's the wikipedia link. It's pretty interesting as well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_rose
It's wonderful that there were such people, and that they were christians. It shows that we are not called to the supergreat feats, but there are things we all can do. A little bit of heroism is in all of us. We only need to find this spark in us. Jesus had it too, the bible calls Him a hero too in accounts of the OT, the hero of the tribe of Judah. I read this book and felt God touch me. I haven't had this for a long time. Thanks, Hans and Sophie, thanks Christoph, thanks Alex and Kurt and all the others.