Thirty years ago, on October 3, 1990, I was watching TV in my flat in Osterode am Harz, a small town full of nature facing the border to former East Germany (DDR)
That was the day of German Unufication.
President Weizsäcker was making a speech in a proudly and solemn tone from Berlin. In the middle of the speech, I knew only later, he mentioned a phrase "Wir sind das Volk. (We are the people.) --That was the key phrase uniting East German people to collapse the communist regime.
Today, after 30 years since then, Germany celebrates the 30th anniversary of its unification. I often recall the president's speech then as one of the closest moments in my life with the world history.
One may experience such a historic moment once at most, as I have long understood. However, this year, the world is unbelievably in chaos. We are facing history-making disastrous news daily: COVID-19, climate change and abnormal weather, wildfires in California, disruptive collision in US presidential election campaign.
THIS YEAR will make the history in 30 years,
As I live quietly in a small village of Hokkaido, Japan, my life is more affected by the world than in 1990's. Then I often quote one of President Weizsäcker's speeches to think of my life in terms of past-present-future span.
Quote from the President Richard von Weizsäcker's speech in 1985 commemorating the end of World War II. link
All of us, whether guilty or not, whether old or young, must accept the past. We are all affected by its consequences and liable for it. The young and old generations must and can help each other to understand why it is vital to keep alive the memories.
lt is not a case of coming to terms with the past. That is not possible. It cannot be subsequently modified or made undone. However, anyone who closes his eyes to the past is blind to the present. Whoever refuses to remember the inhumanity is prone to new risks of infection. (note: "inhumanity" indicates the NAZI's crime.)
Noaiaki Gentsu