Walls
I’d been to Hawaii, which is unique, with lots of foreign flavor, ancient culture, celebrated and still very much alive. A wonderful experience.
But the first time I left American soil and flew across an ocean, it was 1990. A great Friend and I, we flew east. Our destination was Germany, Deutschland, the land of our ancestors.
Another great Friend, a college Friend, he went through school on an ROTC scholarship. This Friend and his wife, they were stationed in Germany. They chose to live off-base, in a small village, near the Rhine River.
As was the case with my Hawaiian trip, knowing someone dear to me, having a connection with a flag planted in the ground, that inspired us. Where others led, we followed.
My Friend and I, we purchased a German Rail Pass. We flew into Munich and did a train trip - loop around Germany.
What comes to the top of my mind today, a moment from that trip, it’s the photo you see here, our visit to the newly breached - Berlin Wall.
I was born into - “Ich bin ein Berliner”.
And now, here we were, standing on the other side, on the other side of “Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall”.
Walls…
1990 Berlin, nickel dime Entrepreneurs, they were renting hammers and chisels. For a couple Deutsche Mark we helped to take down a wall, THE WALL. We hammered out a few small chunks of wall. We put some history in our pockets. We brought some history - home.
(I’m sure I still have history, somewhere squirreled away, in our house. But I can’t put my hands on history. Where is history now?)
I remember that day. It felt great. It felt like a celebration. We felt like history’s winners. I remember my Grandmother saying she “thought she’d never live to see the day”.
Walls…
One wall comes down, and then, then, another wall, it goes up.
And for every physical wall, how about all the “walls of the mind”, the - do not cross barriers, kids, grown up kids with ears covered, La – La – La, I can not hear you, I can not hear you.
Walls come down. Walls go up.
Walls…
How far have we come? What have we achieved? History’s Winners?
What is the point of tearing down - walls, if we’re not able and willing to build - bridges?
Bridges…
Perhaps I can locate history. I’m sure I still have history, squirreled away. Can I use my history, offer it up as a contribution? Can my history be put to good use? Can I use my history to build bridges?
I’m thinking, keep thinking, I think that we desperately, we desperately need - to use our history - to build - bridges.