FREEDOM

A little over 21 years ago, my world changed (again) when my first child, a daughter, was born in October of 1989. A mere 21 days after her birth, starting on November 9th, the whole world changed in a way that has repercussions today and that will continue into the future. I was not quite 30 when I watched live on television the fall of the Berlin Wall. For my whole life up to that point, the people of East Germany lived under an oppressive regime not ever knowing even the simplest freedoms that I had always enjoyed and that my new born daughter would inherit. I remember watching the news on TV as throngs of people were tearing at the wall, jumping over it and cheering.  I remember watching the East German guards standing there looking on and being powerless (for the very first time in their lives I imagine).  I remember the TV cameras showing a man shaking the hand of another through a hole that had just been smashed through the wall.  It was an incredible time.

For my daughter and my other children to follow, the fall of the Berlin Wall is nothing more than another subject learned about in school.  But for me this morning, as I walked past Checkpoint Charlie and into East Berlin, it was all very real as I remembered that time. The repercussions of those events two decades ago are being played out again in Tunisia and on the streets of Cairo. People want to be free. I take my freedom for granted but today I am reminded that I need to be grateful for it.  Free people should express their gratitude once in awhile. After all, they a free to do so, and that is what I am doing in this post. There are so many simple and important things to be grateful for:  The freedom to write this blog for example, the freedom to have an education and learn a skill, the freedom of opportunity, to start a business or work for one of your choosing, the freedom to raise a family, to own a home, drive a car or ride a bicycle in the mountains, the freedom to own books, browse the internet, save money or spend it, the freedom to congregate, enjoy friendships, to love and to marry, the freedom to do or be just about anything you want if you desire it. And that’s just for starters. The list of freedoms I have cannot be enumerated in this blog.

Below are some photos and descriptions from my walk this morning.

This is the location of the notorious Checkpoint Charlie – a Cold war crossing between East and West Berlin.  Today it is a historical site with a large museum.  Notice the McDonalds on the right. It may not be obvious but a McDonalds in East Berlin is a symbol of the freedoms I enjoy today.

This is a section of the Berlin Wall (on display at the museum).

There was a 150 kms of the Berlin Wall that came down in the blink of a historical eye. Today all that remains standing of the Berlin Wall is this small 200 meter section.  It was heavily damaged from the events of 1989 but historical societies stepped in to preserve it for future generations.

A Starbucks in East Berlin?  Yet another unobvious symbol of freedom and democracy.  I was actually more interested in the building.  While taking the picture, it occurred to me that I was standing on a corner in East Berlin pointing a camera at a building. A scant two decades earlier, I would have been shot for doing that.

I love my freedom!