Many of us remember the dark days when the Berlin Wall separated the east and west sides of the city and those attempting to escape over the barrier were regularly shot and killed. From 1961 until the wall was breached in 1989 the official death toll was 136, but there may have been many more unreported deaths. You may also recall the jubilant smashing of portions of the wall in '89, a global symbol of old divisions coming to an end.
It may surprise you to hear that there is now an effort in Germany to save a section of the wall which still stands but is scheduled for demolition. Those who want to keep it intact feel it is an important symbol of the Cold War era and what was overcome. They may be right.
Last weekend the book club talked about Guy Delisle's Jerusalem, a graphic memoir in which the artist/illustrator depicts the Separation Wall between Israel and the West Bank repeatedly. This barrier, a combination of concrete wall and high fence snakes 700 kilometres through the region with about 70 kilometres of actual wall. It has reduced the number of suicide and other attacks on Israel. It has also caused great hardship for ordinary Palestinians. Some have seen their farms cut in two by the wall and access denied to a portion of livlihoods. Others struggle to get to medical care or to visit family.
Walls aren't a long-term solution to hatred and division. And eventually they all fall, even those that seem impregnable. It seems to me that the metaphor for Christianity is bridge-building rather than wall-building, whether we are speaking of actual physical barriers or pscyhological barriers. The two seem interwoven.
What are your thoughts about walls as a means to segregatiion and protection? Do you think it is a good idea to preserve a portion of the Berlin Wall, or should it be demolished? Have you seen ancient barriers such as the Great Wall of China or the Separation Wall in Israel? Any Berlin Wall stories?
There' a 10' tall chunk of the Berlin Wall houses outside at the National War Museum in London. I saw it ten years ago now, on a trip to England and it really was mind-blowing.
ReplyDeleteThe wall you mention in the Middle East is one I hadn't heard of. Thanks for bringing my attention to it. I also think your comparison of bridge building and wall building is a good one to think about.
Bridge building is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteBridge building is what it should be about.
ReplyDeleteAwaiting hubby's return from Israel who will no doubt have stories about the walls he has seen.
We have walked on the Great Wall and will again soon. It was interesting when we were on the Great Wall, our guide told us it was built to keep the Mongolians out, she was Mongolian and laughed about how "effective" it was. Bridges make much more sense.
There is actually a work of fiction about the Berlin Wall and the story of a few of the members of the Berlin secret police (Stasi) written by James Patterson with a co-writer from Europe entitled "Private: Berlin".
ReplyDeleteThe Private series is about a private intelligence/detective agency which provides security and investigative for governments and the world's rich and famous people. It's actually very well done and as about as real as it can get as it centres on a slaughterhouse used multipurpose by the Stasi as a holding cell and killing field for individuals and their family to extort information.
The "wall" separating North and South Korea is another of the great societal "walls" that doesn't seem it will ever come down; here's hoping!
I agree with Nancy that it should be about bridge building, not segregation.
I'm really enjoying all your thoughtful responses to recent blogs. Keep it up gang! Welcome to the comment tribe Ryan.
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