Post by Darren Dirt on Apr 15, 2007 19:17:01 GMT -5
Breaking Down Walls - Lessons from 11-9 for a Post 9-11 Era
By Paul Davis
The Berlin Wall, known in the Soviet Union and in the German Democratic Republic as the "Anti-Fascist Protective Rampart," was a separation barrier between West Berlin and East Germany (the German Democratic Republic), which closed the border between East and West Berlin for 28 years. Construction on the wall began on August 13, 1961, and it was dismantled in the weeks following November 9, 1989. The Berlin Wall was the most prominent part of the inner German border and an iconic symbol of the Cold War.
Conceived by the East German administration of Walter Ulbricht and approved by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, it was built during the post-World War II period of divided Germany, in an effort to stop the drain of labour and economic output associated with the daily migration of huge numbers of professionals and skilled workers from East to West Berlin, and the attendant defections, which hurt the Communist bloc economically and politically.
On November 9, 1989, the government announced that crossing of the border would be permitted. Masses of East Germans approached and then crossed the wall, and were joined by crowds of West Germans in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks parts of the wall were chipped away by a euphoric public and by souvenir hunters; it was later removed using industrial equipment.
How can we daily chip away at and break down walls in a post 9/11 era?
1. Refuse to be gripped and governed by fear.
2. Believe the best about people, until they prove otherwise.
3. Love and accept people unconditionally.
4. Be hopeful and expect the best from people.
5. Don't be paralyzed by presumption and erroneous predispositions.
6. Investigate and seek the truth.
7. Celebrate and honor all peoples.
8. Forgive and live.
9. Be patient, peaceful, and progressive.
10. Let dialogue and diplomacy replace hostility.
Let us all continue to break down walls between us so we can be a global community interconnected with heartfelt understanding and compassion.
- from ezinearticles.com/index.php?Breaking-Down-Walls---Lessons-from-11-9-for-a-Post-9-11-Era&id=527892
By Paul Davis
The Berlin Wall, known in the Soviet Union and in the German Democratic Republic as the "Anti-Fascist Protective Rampart," was a separation barrier between West Berlin and East Germany (the German Democratic Republic), which closed the border between East and West Berlin for 28 years. Construction on the wall began on August 13, 1961, and it was dismantled in the weeks following November 9, 1989. The Berlin Wall was the most prominent part of the inner German border and an iconic symbol of the Cold War.
Conceived by the East German administration of Walter Ulbricht and approved by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, it was built during the post-World War II period of divided Germany, in an effort to stop the drain of labour and economic output associated with the daily migration of huge numbers of professionals and skilled workers from East to West Berlin, and the attendant defections, which hurt the Communist bloc economically and politically.
On November 9, 1989, the government announced that crossing of the border would be permitted. Masses of East Germans approached and then crossed the wall, and were joined by crowds of West Germans in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks parts of the wall were chipped away by a euphoric public and by souvenir hunters; it was later removed using industrial equipment.
How can we daily chip away at and break down walls in a post 9/11 era?
1. Refuse to be gripped and governed by fear.
2. Believe the best about people, until they prove otherwise.
3. Love and accept people unconditionally.
4. Be hopeful and expect the best from people.
5. Don't be paralyzed by presumption and erroneous predispositions.
6. Investigate and seek the truth.
7. Celebrate and honor all peoples.
8. Forgive and live.
9. Be patient, peaceful, and progressive.
10. Let dialogue and diplomacy replace hostility.
Let us all continue to break down walls between us so we can be a global community interconnected with heartfelt understanding and compassion.
- from ezinearticles.com/index.php?Breaking-Down-Walls---Lessons-from-11-9-for-a-Post-9-11-Era&id=527892