Sunday, 13 June 2010

What We Become

On Friday, our field trip for our class took us to two places. One: to the Soviet Memorial for the Soviet Soldiers who died while conquering Berlin during World War II, and the other was the Allied Forces Museum, both of which I (thankfully) had never been to. The Allied Forces Museum was particularly enjoyable for me because it was made out of the movie theater of the Outpost for the American families stationed in Berlin for decades. It is located right across the street from the compound where, again, the American families lived, offices were located, and really just the main hub for anything good and American from the 1940s on. It's where our consulate today is now located. As I walked through the museum, looking at all the uniforms and memorabilia, etc., the United States military ID started to weigh a little more heavy in my bookbag. Who am I to talk about service? Sacrifice? When really, while looking at what all our troops have done for other countries, and continue to do today, I know I will never be HALF the hero that most become. And that's okay with me. Berlin has survived as a city because of our military; our military, being a hot topic among the students I'm living with. 

I may have mentioned before that we are not just Americans here, we also consist of Canadians, Europeans, and South Americans. This is Freie Universität Berlin International Summer (and Winter) University. Everyone, of course, has their opinions about things like the War in Iraq or Afghanistan, the oil spill and different ways to acquire energy, genocide in Africa and so on and so forth. And naturally, most people, especially in this age group, will sway toward the left side on these topics. Not ironically, the students in Berlin during the Cold War Era attended this same university, coming to Berlin to dodge the draft and protest global issues (sometimes very violently) like the Vietnam War. But we have learned from the same university that Berlin survived because of the Americans, because of their investment in protecting people around the world from tyrants and oppressive governments. Berlin survived to later become the hub of a United Germany because of our outreach economically and through use of the military for decades, including but not limited to something as great as the Berlin Airlift. Now, I'm not saying that Germany should feel they owe us. That it was JUST the United States that came in on a white and shining horse to save the people of Germany and allow them the luxury of becoming a very stable and comfortable nation to live in. But, I AM saying that we, as global players, have to feel invested in other countries, to intervene when needed, because in the end, it will usually be for the better. Just look at Berlin to see the proof. 

"Berlin ist eine Stadt, verdammt dazu, ewig zu werden, niemals zu sein" -Karl Scheffler
Loosely translated: Berlin is a city, condemned to always becoming and never to be.

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