Or Am I Just That Old
NPR is doing a series this week on the coming down of the Berlin Wall, which happened 20 years ago today. My goodness, has it really been that long?
I actually remember that happening when I was a kid. I was under the impression that it had just fallen on its own, due to being too old. I found that possible fate amusing, although I knew it represented a great thing for the folks who had been trapped on the wrong side of it for all that time, and on the wrong side of history.
In those dark days, reading about Eastern Europe was like reading about North Korea now. It was a place that scared and intrigued me in equal measure. I guess I've just always had a hard time understanding why some of us feel such a strong need to control others of us.
History has clearly shown that everytime one of these countries or governments falls another rises to take its place. I remember the feeling as we rounded the bend into the new century, hoping that we'd left all the blood and carniage resulting from our radical technological advances far behind. But of course not much has changes, perhaps only the nature of the beast. It seems that rather than being based on political ideologies, our sparring now centers largely around religion. Will we ever learn from our past? Now I'm just not so sure.
I actually remember that happening when I was a kid. I was under the impression that it had just fallen on its own, due to being too old. I found that possible fate amusing, although I knew it represented a great thing for the folks who had been trapped on the wrong side of it for all that time, and on the wrong side of history.
In those dark days, reading about Eastern Europe was like reading about North Korea now. It was a place that scared and intrigued me in equal measure. I guess I've just always had a hard time understanding why some of us feel such a strong need to control others of us.
History has clearly shown that everytime one of these countries or governments falls another rises to take its place. I remember the feeling as we rounded the bend into the new century, hoping that we'd left all the blood and carniage resulting from our radical technological advances far behind. But of course not much has changes, perhaps only the nature of the beast. It seems that rather than being based on political ideologies, our sparring now centers largely around religion. Will we ever learn from our past? Now I'm just not so sure.