 Opinion of a Portuguese |
loliveira
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Lieber deutsche Leser,
I was shocked when I read about the intentions of your Bundesregierung to move or even completely do away with the Tag der Einheit. I’m not a German citizen and I apologise if I hurt any of you with my comments or if I come across like I’m meddling in your internal affairs. That’s really not my intention. However I felt the need to add my thoughts to this forum, as I’ve lived in Berlin for 12 years and Germany is definitively “meine zweite Heimat”. When I left Portugal in 1984, there was still a wall in Berlin, there were two "Germanies"- a federal one and a “democratic” one. Everything I got to see, hear and feel on both sides of the wall was clear evidence that this partition was everything but natural. It was a wound. And then it happened. I am so privileged to be among those who were there on that 9th November. Call me an idealist and a fool, but yes, I cried as if it were my own country that was coming together again. Fifteen years later it’s quite obvious that Germans are still divided, not physically, but socially and, yes, ideologically. I understand their disenchantment quite well. It all happened so fast (but then, what was the alternative?), lots of mistakes were made (but then, who was checking?).
I have lots of German friends, but it seems like every time we are discussing this chapter in German history I end up as the only one defending it, it’s like they take some enjoyment in inflicting remorse and guilt upon themselves. They look down to their navel and they don’t like what they see, but that’s all, they don’t look beyond that. Throughout centuries Germany has contributed in so many ways to enrich the European continent and, yes, the world. I don’t have to name them, you know them as well. True, out of Germany came great evils as well – the historical burden has indeed become heavy to the broad shoulders of the German people. But it seems to me that this part of the German past should be purged by now, not forgotten, but overcome. Look at the face of Europe as it is today. Do you honestly believe we owe it to Ronald Reagan? No. We owe it to the Czechs, we owe it to the Hungarians, we owe it to Gorbachev, but first and above all we owe it to ALL Germans and they shouldn’t let anybody steal that from them. They weren’t mere spectators, they were the actors!
Now, I would have said that the real Tag der Einheit should have been “der Tag der Wiedervereinigung” and that would have been the 9th of November. Most likely for political reasons it was decided that the Einheit of all Germans would be on 3rd October (1990) but you cannot wind back history. Nevertheless moving or scrapping that date would be denying Germans the respect they have come so hard to deserve.
Learn to do patriotism!
A German fan from Portugal.
(Sorry for writing in English, but in German it would have taken forever)
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06.11.2004 00:10 |
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Pryce 
Schüler
Dabei seit: 08.11.2003
Alter: 40
Herkunft: Hannover
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Hallo loliveira,
As you can see, I've moved the thread to our "any-language-but-German board" since we can't expect our users to be able to talk your topic over in English (or to even read and understand it) when it is posted in the Germen area...
Actually, I wanted to add something to your topic itself but unfortunately I wrote a text that at last did say as much as it does when I say nothing at all and it would have taken me ages to finish something that does make sense and is in English... 
Anyway, next time you open a thread in English, please do it on this board!
Thanks,
Pryce
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06.11.2004 00:43 |
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loliveira
unregistriert
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Sorry 
, thanks for this
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06.11.2004 00:47 |
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Opinion of a Portuguese
