Last Pics from Berlin

Pictures that say so much!

Top Photo: In this new building there are displays we didn't get to read in detail which show the rise and fall of the Nazi regime. It is a new venture built in an area of town from which the Nazis exercised their power.... I think they call it something like the "Territory of terror". It is interesting how they went about seizing power. Elected in they began to slowly limit the freedoms of the people in the name of national health and well being. Trade Unions had freedoms clipped. Creative thinking people had freedoms limited. Newspapers were censored. There were those who bucked the system, but they were "dealt to" and discouraged.

Middle Photo: In the foreground there is being prepared a display about the infamous Gestapo, so that their feats will never be forgotten and never repeated. Then we have a remaining length of the Berlin Wall. ... A consequence really of the aftermath of the second world war peace process. Behind that there is a Government building built during the Nazi regime and this was the headquarters for Goering in that time, now, of course used for peaceful, constructive purposes.

Bottom Photo: Is of a church which was bombed during the war. Within the damaged remains they have a "Hall of Remembrance" and the story of the church. They have beside it an amazing new church building built to replace it. During the Nazi rise to power and reign the Pastor of this Church, Gerhard Jocobi, was part of a movement of protestant ministers who questioned and opposed the regime. He was arrested several times and faced opposition. The new church is dedicated to peace and reconciliation. I have been doing a little bit of reading about the Church in Germany at the time. During the debate in the Churches in Germany there was a story going around that went something like this;

At the beginning of a church service the announcement was made; "Would all non-arayan people please leave the building." (There was a big section of the church who fell into line with Nazis thinking) Nobody moved. So the request was repeated. Once again nobody moved. For the third time the announcement was made and there was movement at the very front of the church. The words "Oh OK then!" were heard, and Jesus climbed down off the crucifix at the front of the church and left the building.

Of course a fictitious story that made (and still makes) a good point.

Another Friend gone.

I received a message that one of my good friends in NZ had died. His name is Laurie Findlay and I have known him for thirty four years. I am grieving the loss. Laurie was about 20 years older than I, and had heart and kidney problems, so I guess I knew he would not be around for much longer. We had chosen to holiday in the North Island 18 months ago so that we could catch up on him and Evie his wife. We are pleased we did. He rang me a few days before we left to go overseas and I thought that in conversation he had slowed up and that with regular dialysis happening his life was pretty tough. I always thought that when he died I would attend his funeral. Now he has gone and I am on the other side of the world, and somehow this makes it tougher!

Laurie

I met Laurie after my first Church service in Palmerston North. He and his wife came up and introduced themselves. His comment then was, "I bet you're pleased to have that service done!"

One of his daughters baby sat for us and also typed the church newsletter, so I was often around at their place and got to know him and his family quite well. Here are some things I'll remember about Laurie.

• He managed a local hardware company and if I rang him at work he would always answer with just one business-like word... "Findlay!" I once plucked up the courage to say, "Brown!" in response.
• He was a man of integrity and had old fashioned values. He always wanted to look his best and dress professionally. He wanted things done efficiently and well. He could be trusted to keep his word and was always very straight up and honest.
• Laurie took me to the rugby in Palmerston North. Manawatu (the local team) just happened to be playing Otago, the team from my home town. Out of deference to my host I remained impartial most of the game, but at one point when Otago scored a try I punched the air in enthusiasm and yelled, "Yes!" Laurie turned and looked at me in disgust. When we got back to his place he said to his family, "I don't know about this new minister... take the man to the rugby and he cheers for the opposition! By jingo!"
• Laurie began to lead in worship while I was in ministry there. He agreed with me that the whole of worship should dove tale with what the sermon was on about, so we would plan worship together. He would come around to my place one evening and we'd sit in the study, have a cup of tea, and choose hymns and the order etc. But of course we would start to talk politics, life, faith and sort out the whole world. It always ended up a long night, with lots of cups of tea but a good night of friendship. Faith for Laurie, had to be down to earth, real and practical. "None of this airy fairy bull dust! I don't go for that!" he would say.
• Laurie came across often blunt, and as a man of few words. But I came to know that he felt for people very deeply. He hurt when others hurt and he would go out of his way to help people. I once saw him just after he knocked a boy off his bike. It was the boys fault, he rode out in front of the car, but Laurie was absolutely mortified. The boy injured his leg. He went around to that family for several visits, bringing food, offering transport and befriending the boy.
• Laurie was a man of few words. He would often sit and listen to a conversation and then come up with something that showed he had been stewing on everyone's contribution. "It seems to me... " he would start... and then share his considered thoughts.
• Laurie became chairman of the church board while I was there and he would invite Jean and I for lunch on the day of the board meeting. He and I would go over the agenda and correspondence for the meeting, and have things structured so that the board members talked about the important things first.
• Laurie supported me in so many ways. He once sold an old classic car I had. I had a partially restored Austin 7 that I could not afford to transport to the South Island. I left it on Laurie's front lawn and he sold it for me. I was passing through Palmerston North and was running late for a bus once. He took time off work and chased down the bus, pulling it over south of Palmerston so that I could get on it. Over the years Laurie has always been interested in what I am doing. He would keep in touch and we would theologise and discuss life again over the phone. His support has been one of the things that has kept me going. He may have lived in the North Island, we may have contacted each other just a few times a year, but I knew I had a friend thinking of me and somehow "with me".
• Laurie could be blunt with me and let me know his opinion if he thought I was not doing as I should. We had a part time ministry in Levin, and we lived at a little place called Apiti. I loved it. I had a "self-sufficiency" thing going on our acre of ground and I got jobs on farms and in a shearing gang. I wanted to stay there. He kept questioning me. He challenged me saying that I had other gifts to share. He then said bluntly, "I think you're hiding away here. You're not doing what you are meant to be doing with the gifts and abilities you have. You can influence more people elsewhere!"
• We had lots of laughs together. Mostly we laughed at ourselves and the various predicaments we had faced in life.
• He was a great partner to Evie his lovely wife. She was/is a ball of energy and talks flat tack. Laurie was quieter, and would tease her gently, but support her in whatever she was doing. If you stayed at their place they lavished you with kindness, and both of them would be busy in the kitchen to make sure you got fed, and fed well.

I could go on... I loved them both. I conducted his daughter's weddings. (One of his daughters is a very successful music teacher in a high class secondary school. A mother of teenagers now. Whenever we meet she still says, "Hi DB....Up your nose with a rubber hose!" which grew out of something that happened when she was a teen and I was visiting.) We stayed with them often. Now I wish I was with Evie and the family as they say their good byes. I seemed to have lost a lot of friends over the last couple of years. Having stopped being busy, I am finding my thoughts go to them, and now Laurie is added to the list.

Amsterdam lesson...

We had a about six and a half hours on two trains to get from Berlin to Amsterdam. Amsterdam Centraal (that's how they spell it) was teaming with people. There was a crush to get on the elevators down from the platform! First my wife got on with her bag, and I followed, with people pushing in behind me. We got to the bottom of the elevator and the guy in front of us, a big guy, got off the elevator and.... STOPPED still sorting out his next move, surveying the scene. The elevator and the crowd kept pushing us forward. He was about to get a push from my wife when he took one further step which allowed us to squeeze past. I had of course been thinking about Laurie. Somewhere in his eighties, physically life had turned to custard. It is the way of life and nature that when that happens we have to move on. We make room for those following. I know that but its still hard losing a friend.

Is there a connection?

On Thursday night our time, (Friday morning NZ time) I struggled to sleep. I was physically very tired and should have dropped to sleep easily. But I didn't. I tried all sorts of things to get off to sleep, but I tossed and turned and only after several hours of sleeplessness dozed off. I gather that would have been the time when Laurie's life would have been ebbing. Did my subconscious know this somehow? Was there some "link" between us? I guess we'll never know.

"... good people doing nothing.."

Today has been another mind stretching day in Berlin. We first went to the memorial to European Jews killed in WWII. It expanded our knowledge of the holocaust. We learned that the Nazis first tried gas poisoning on handicapped people. (As foster parents to a handicapped child that didn't go down well) We learned more about the types of groupings killed in various ways. Trucks with exhaust fumes running into a sealed back compartment were used to kill and transport people all in one efficient operation. There were photos of women stripped, lying in pits with Nazi soldiers shooting them one at a time. We learned about families and individuals who were murdered. 5.5-6 million people!

Further down the road there was a bunker looking concrete edifice with a slot in it. A plaque outside told of the persecution of homosexual people during the Nazi regime and in other periods of time in Germany. This is a memorial. If you go up to the slot in the wall you will see a moving picture of a homosexual couple sharing a kiss. It is a bit of a challenge and a reminder of prejudice.

We of course learned more about "the wall" and the disruption of German life, the suffering and troubles brought about by the communist regime.

At the Brandenburg gate we learned about the struggle for democratic rights and all the trials and triumphs of the people back into its history, and how this gate has come to be a reminder of so much that we in NZ take for granted.

On our way home at another spot discovered by accident, we learned of unrest by workers in the 1950s and the cost involved to strikers and protestors as the unrest was quelled by force.

All these learnings has me asking questions and feeling challenged.

Where were the responsible people?

As I went through the Holocaust memorial I had to think about how I would feel if I was a German. There were German people all around me. How were they thinking when the script said, ".. the German military transported etc. ... murdered... killed..."? I could feel smugly righteous and angry at the bad guys, but this was a sad part of their history. The thing that got to me was that Hitler and his mates did not seize power by force, they were voted in and some how retained in power! How were they given the power they had? How were there not enough thinking responsible German people willing to stop what was happening? Now I understand that Hitler was not the only racist around at that time. Good people in NZ also had more racist tendencies than nowadays, so I don't think Hitler had as difficult a time convincing people as he would today.... but where were the good people? How did the "nasties" get and keep so much power? It was essentially a Christian, democratic and civilised country? Was it that for too long the good people were apathetic or not involved so things got way out of balance. Was it like a frog in water getting hot? I haven't tried cooking one, but apparently a frog will just enjoy the warmth till its too late to jump out. Were the good people so unquestioning that they had become a racist nasty society without noticing it?

Keep Alert...

So I say to you my readers... watch who you vote in! Keep an eye on how much power they give themselves. Be prepared to challenge and question. Your country ... your world needs alert, questioning, thinking people.

Be politically aware..

One of the things I hear people say is "I'm not political". There are many who do not care too much about what happens, provided it does not disturb them too much. Mr Key (or who ever is in power) is basically trusted to "do the right thing" and we do not take the time to think deeply about directions in our society. In this part of the world (Europe) they have had to struggle to get the rights that we take for granted. In this part of the world (and in other parts of the world) the bad guys have been in power and their decisions have brought untold suffering. It is important that we participate in our democratic system and that we be aware of the issues.

Think long term and broadly...

As I have encountered the history of these countries, I can see that so many of the difficulties evolved from decisions made about the peace processes after WWII, and even actions of people around WWI. In an interview I watched on CNN last night, film Director Oliver Stone warned that Governments need to think long term... to hold in mind long term consequences, not just quick fix responses. So we as voters and citizens need to think long term. How does this issue impact on the nature of our society in the long term? What do decisions about education do, long term for the nature of the community we live in? How do funding cuts in Mental health impact our society long term, and from a broad perspective? Do we save money in one part, but create a greater cost elsewhere? One of the difficulties we have in NZ is that Governments are in power for 3 years. This does not encourage long term thinking. Having said that, the M.M.P system of Government does help bring about more long term thinking as smaller parties with particular focus can keep whatever big party more honest.

Have Principles and values you hold dear.

One of the troubles I think we have is that very often we just drift through life. We do what is expected of us and don't think deeply about what is important. We earn a crust. We find a mate. We may raise a family. We look after our family. We look after ourselves. We die. We can do this all "on auto-pilot" because that's what's expected. But it is important that somewhere we ask the deeper questions. What do we believe about life? What meaning is there? What is truly of value? These are deeper questions... spiritual... though not necessarily religious. When we think deeply, and go to the trouble of keeping alive this deeper part of us (because it is not a once and for all process... it's a journey) we will then find that we want to be aware, involved and alert. We will feel the injustices and want to make this world a better place.