Amost everybody knows that November 9, 2009 is the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. I have been to Europe a number of times - I even lived there for a while on two occasions - but a few days ago I made my first visit to Berlin. My wife and I were hosted by Ingo Tophoven who is one of our PhD students in counseling at Regant University. We walked around the center of the city and stood to have our pictures taken at the Brandenburg gate, site of so much history and a place alive with celebration at this anniversary time.
Our month-long trip to seven European countries involved seminars on coaching and other topics, visits with friends, and even a little time for sight-seeing. As we travelled, I was moved on several occasions by the evidences of so much world-war two and post-war history, especially in Eastern Europe. I have been reading a lot about the Berlin wall as a result of this trip and was sobered as we looked at evidences of the Nazi and Communist oppression that impacted so many lives while we in North America lived in peace, often oblivious to what really was going on elsewhere in the world.
Our countries are not perfect and sometimes not as free as our politicians like to proclalim. But we have much for which to give thanks. For me this day is a time of reflection on remembrance, as I ponder events that have impacted my life, maybe yours, even though I was never directly involved.
Alvin Says:
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