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Love is a state

Thursday, April 20th, 2017

Love is a state in which a man sees things most decidedly as they are not.

— Friedrich Nietzsche

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

Tags: illusion, love
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Human Trafficking Called Haeftlingsfreikauf

Monday, April 17th, 2017

Haeftlingsfreikauf is the German word for ransom money once paid by West Germany to East Germany for the release of East German political prisoners. West Germany also paid ransom moneys for East German citizens who had applied for exit visas but were denied exit by East German authorities. Such human trafficking was unofficially practiced between 1962 and 1990 and sanctioned by both governments.

According to Andreas Apelt, author and historian, 33,755 political prisoners (which included people who had attempted to cross the east/west border illegally) and 250,000 of their relatives were sold to West Germany between 1964 and 1989. The Haeftlingsfreikauf cost West Germany a total of 3.5 billion West Marks. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29889706 Some of these political prisoners were well-known agents; others were nameless. The prisoners were given the option of being released into the East or into the West. Most of them chose the West. At times, the ransom consisted of western currency. Other times, “buying free” involved “merchandise” for merchandise, such as cadmium, copper, crude oil, rubber, equipment, cooking oil, coffee, tropical fruit. Human trafficking infused the East German economy with much needed cash and merchandise. West Germany assisted for humanitarian reasons.

Haeftlingsfreikauf = ransom moneys paid by West Germany to East Germany of the release of its political prisoners between 1962 and 1990. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Start of the Haeftlingsfreikauf practice

The first East German political prisoners were bought free during the Christmas season of 1962. At that time, ransom moneys were paid for 20 prisoners and a number of children. They were released to the west in return for three truckloads of fertilizer. During those initial exchanges, the price per prisoner was about 40,000 West Marks. By 1989 that amount had risen to over 95,000 West Marks. Supposedly, the price was based on the “damage” the prisoner had caused to the regime plus the educational investment the East German state had made in the prisoner. For the last Haeftlingsfreikauf in January 1990 West Germany paid with copper, crude oil and light trucks amounting to 65 million West Mark. The funds were deposited in special accounts held by Stasi chief Erich Mielke http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/erich-mielke-master-of-fear/ and by General Secretary Erich Honecker http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/erich-honecker-berlin-wall-architect/.

How the Haeftlingsfreikauf practice worked

Neither side wanted the public to find out about the Haeftlingsfreikauf practice. East Germany did not want to appear weak, and West Germany did not want to be seen as supporting a communist regime. Therefore, the operation remained clandestine. Government representatives unofficially handled the arrangements. Representatives of the Protestant and Catholic Church acted as intermediaries. Attorneys from both sides facilitated the operation. Wolfgang Vogel http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/wolfgang-vogel-east-german-profiteer/ represented the East German side; Juergen Stange acted on behalf of the West German side. Some prisoner releases took place in the underground railway. In other cases, prisoners were driven across the border in buses with revolving license plates.

How the Prisoners were actually exchanged

Exchanges were handled with utmost discretion. If the exchange involved busses, the prisoners were usually transported to the Kassberg prison in Chemnitz and then driven to the Herleshausen/Wartha border where they were expelled to West Germany. While still in East Germany, the bus displayed East German license plates. At the border crossing, the driver pushed a button on the dashboard, and the license plate pivoted to display a West German license. https://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/DE/Artikel/2014_Deutsche_Einheit/1990-01-23-haeftlingsfreikauf-letztes-kapitel.html

I have a friend who was one of the 33,755 political prisoners bought free by West Germany. His story is hair-raising. When he was a high school student still living in East Germany with his family, he and a group of boys in his class decided to defect. It was more of a boys’ prank than a serious desire to leave East Germany. Nonetheless, the boys planned their get-away. But someone denounced them to the authorities. All of the boys were immediately taken into custody, separated and sent to prison. My friend found himself in solitary confinement for the better of six months. One night, he and a number of prison inmates of all ages and both sexes were told to get on a bus in a hurry. The bus was standing ready. They were not allowed to take anything. My friend did not know anyone on the bus.

It was completely dark inside the bus. All the prisoners could see was that they were being driven into the woods. There was dead silence in the bus. The prisoners feared for their lives. Finally, headlights became visible in the distance. Moments later, the headlights went off. The bus continued in the direction of the headlights now gone dark and then came to a stop. The driver turned off the engine. The prisoners were told to quickly get off. Once outside and still in complete darkness, they were barely able to make out the outline of another bus parked directly next to theirs. At gunpoint, they were told to get on the second bus as quickly as possible. Once everyone had boarded, the doors closed, the engine started, and the bus took off. It was still completely dark inside the bus. No one spoke.

A few minutes later, the lights came on inside the bus, music blared from the radio and the driver said, “Welcome everybody. In a few minutes you will be in the West. You are free.”

Tags: Andreas Apelt, buying free, Chemnitz, East Germany, Erich Honecker, Erich Mielke, Haeftlingsfreikauf, human trafficking, Juergen Stange, Kassberg prison, political prisoners, ransom, West Germany, Wolfgang Vogel
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After all is said and done

Thursday, April 13th, 2017

After all is said and done a lot more will have been said than done.

–Mueritzer Bauernmarkt, Klink

Tags: human nature
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Ludwig van Beethoven – lonely giant

Monday, April 10th, 2017

Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer and pianist (1770-1827), is still considered a giant of classical music. His family had Dutch roots, and Beethoven sometimes concealed the fact that the Dutch “van” in his name does not denote nobility as the German “von” does. In his late 20s, Ludwig van Beethoven began to experience hearing loss. Toward the end of his life, he was so deaf that he had to be turned around at the end of the premiere of his famous Ninth Symphony to watch the audience applaud because he could not hear them clapping, nor had he heard the orchestra playing.

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Early Years

Unlike his grandfather, who was a renowned musician in Bonn, Ludwig van Beethoven’s father was a mediocre singer with a fondness for alcohol. He became young Beethoven’s first teacher and taught with brutality. Neighbors recalled that the small boy had to stand on top of a footstool to reach the piano keys, his father beating him for any hesitation or mistake. Ludwig van Beethoven not only often ended up weeping while playing the piano, his father also locked him into the cellar, beat him or deprived him of sleep when young Beethoven did not perform to his expectations.

In 1787, the then teenage Beethoven travelled to Vienna for the first time, hoping to study with Mozart. Two weeks later, his mother fell ill, and Ludwig returned to Bonn. Following his mother’s death, his father slipped even deeper into alcoholism, and Ludwig van Beethoven became responsible for the care of his two younger brothers. He spent the next five years in Bonn. Despite these personal struggles, Beethoven composed a significant number of works during this period, showing influences of Mozart and Haydn. In late 1792, Beethoven left for Vienna for the second time to further his studies and established himself as a piano virtuoso.

In his late 20s, Ludwig van Beethoven began to notice some hearing loss. Over time, the loss became profound and Beethoven fell into depression. He wrote to a friend, “I must confess that I lead a miserable life. For almost two years I have ceased to attend any social functions, just because I find it impossible to say to people: I am deaf. If I had any other profession, I might be able to cope with my infirmity; but in my profession it is a terrible handicap.”

http://www.biography.com/people/ludwig-van-beethoven-9204862 – losing-hearing

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Middle Years

Despite his worsening deafness and many personal setbacks, (insurmountable class differences hampered his love life, one of his brothers passed away causing Beethoven to become entangled in a legal dispute with his sister-in-law over the custody of the couple’s nine-year-old son), Ludwig van Beethoven dedicated himself wholeheartedly to musical study. Between 1803 and 1812, he composed an opera, six symphonies, four solo concerti, five string quartets, six string sonatas, seven piano sonatas, five sets of piano variations, four overtures, four trios, two sextets and 72 songs.

Ludwig van Beethoven, photo courtesy of wikipedia. Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820.

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Later Years

In time, Beethoven’s hearing deteriorated to the point that conversation became so difficult that he had to make use of conversation books. He became lonely, short-tempered and absent-minded. Still, he continued to compose at a furious pace. Some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life when he was quite unable to hear. Works from this period are the most complex, such as the fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony, which features an elaborate choral setting of Friedrich Schiller’s Ode An die Freude (Ode to Joy), championing the brotherhood of humanity. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/friedrich-schiller-champion-of-freedom/ Ludwig van Beethoven died in 1827 at the age of 56.

Ludwig von Beethoven’s Major Works

His works include 9 symphonies, 7 concerti, 1 opera, 2 masses, 32 piano sonatas, 10 violin sonatas, 5 cello sonatas, 1 sonata for French horn, 16 string quartets, 5 string quintets, 7 piano trios, 5 string trios, many chamber music pieces and many others.

Tags: Friedrich Schiller, Ludwig van Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, Ode an die Freude, Ode to Joy
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Unlocking our Potential

Thursday, April 6th, 2017

Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.

— Sir Winston Churchill

Tags: effort, intelligence, strength, unlocking our potential
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Friedrich Schiller – Champion of Freedom

Monday, April 3rd, 2017

Friedrich Schiller (his full name was Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller – ennobled in 1802 allowing him to add “von” to his name) is probably the second most important playwright in Europe after William Shakespeare. Throughout his life, Schiller championed physical and spiritual freedom. Born in 1759 in Marbach in Germany, he produced scores of poems, dramas, historical and philosophical papers. Although “Friedrich Schiller” is not a household name in America, it was Schiller whose eloquent poem, “Ode to Joy”, inspired Ludwig van Beethoven to set it to music in the famous last movement of his Ninth symphony.

“It hinders the creative work of the mind if the intellect examines too closely the ideas as they pour in.”

— Friedrich Schiller

Lithograph portrait from 1905, captioned “Friedrich von Schiller” in recognition of his 1802 ennoblement, photo courtesy of wikipedia

Friedrich Schiller’s taxing life

Germany, at the time of Friedrich Schiller, consisted of many small kingdoms. The poet was born in the little duchy of Wuertemberg, a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. He was the second of four children in the family. His father was an army doctor; his mother was a quiet, pious woman. When Friedrich Schiller was 13 years of age, the Duke of Wuertemberg insisted that he enter an elite military academy, the Karlsschule. Until then, Schiller had leaned toward becoming a man of the cloth and felt trapped at the academy. For the next eight years, he studied law and medicine. Strict obedience was stressed. Its students enjoyed little freedom. To keep up his spirits, Friedrich Schiller wrote his first play (Die Raeuber – The Robbers) while still at the school. The play scrutinizes the inequities resulting from class, religious and economic differences. When his play opened in Mannheim in 1780, Schiller stole himself to the opening without first requesting permission. He was 21 years old at the time and sentenced to 14 days in prison. In addition, he was prohibited from publishing any future works. In response to the sentence, Schiller deserted and fled to Weimar where he lived under an assumed name. Forever cash-poor, he penned several plays during that period.

Between 1787 and 1798, Schiller changed course, became Professor of History and Philosophy in Jena and pursued historical studies. In 1794, he struck up a close friendship with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. http://www.walled-in-berlin.com/j-elke-ertle/goethe-writes-faust-a-closet-drama/This mutually beneficial alliance inspired Schiller to compose some of his best-known dramas, including the Wallenstein Trilogy, Maria Stuart (Mary Stuart), Die Jungfrau von Orleans (The Maiden of Orleans) and Wilhelm Tell (William Tell). In 1805, Friedrich Schiller died of tuberculosis at the age of forty-five.

“Opposition always inflames the enthusiast, never converts him.”

— Friedrich Schiller

Friedrich Schiller’s Ode to Joy

Many Americans know Friedrich Schiller only through Ludwig van Beethoven’s musical setting of a part of Schiller’s most famous poem, the “Ode to Joy”. From the very year in which the poem was first printed (1786) the Ode an die Freude (Ode to Joy) began to be sung to various musical accompaniments. That same year, a composer by the name of J. Chr. Mueller set the Ode to Joy to music. By 1800 there were at least twenty different versions of “An die Freude” that still survive today.

Tags: Die Raeuber, freedom, Friedrich von Schiller, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Karlsschule, Ludwig van Beethoven, Ode to Joy, the robbers
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consensus and the right answer

Thursday, March 30th, 2017

Reaching consensus in a group is often confused with finding the right answer.

— Norman Mailer

Tags: compromise, concession, consensus, cooperation, solution
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Ode to Joy – European National Anthem

Monday, March 27th, 2017

Two hundred years after inception, Ode to Joy is still as popular as ever. Throughout the world, it is seen as a song about resistance to war and repression. It is even speculated that Schiller originally entitled his lyric poem “Ode An die Freiheit” (Ode to Freedom) and later changed it to “Ode An die Freude” (Ode to Joy).

First written in 1785 by German poet Friedrich Schiller as a celebration of the brotherhood of man, Ode to Joy is best known as the 4th and final movement in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. When the poem was republished in 1808, Schiller made some minor revisions. This revised version forms the basis for Beethoven’s famous movement. The Ninth Symphony was completed in 1824.

Ludwig van Beethoven, photo courtesy of wikipedia. Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820.

Becoming the European National Anthem

In 1972, the Council of Europe adopted Beethoven’s famous movement as the European National Anthem. In 1985, it also became the anthem of the European Community and in 1993 that of the European Union. The European Anthem does not replace the national anthems of its member states. It celebrates their shared values and their unity in diversity. It symbolizes not only the European Union but also Europe in a wider sense. Just as Schiller’s lyric poem, the European Anthem symbolizes the human race as one of brothers.

Due to the large number of languages used in the European Union, the European National Anthem is purely instrumental. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuhvzbQ5El/ In the universal language of music, this anthem expresses the European ideals of freedom, peace and solidarity. It is played on official occasions, such as the opening of Parliament following elections and at formal sittings.

Ode to Joy has been heard around the World

In Chile, women sang Beethoven’s Ode to Joy in the streets and sometimes outside torture prisons during Pinochet’s dictatorship to raise the hope of inmates. In 1989, Chinese protesters sang the Ode to Joy during their march on Tiananmen Square. Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Leonard Bernstein conducted Beethoven’s Ninth on both sites of the Berlin Wall to celebrate freedom.

German and English Lyrics to the Ode to Joy

Ode an die Freude Ode to Joy

Freude, schoener Goetterfunken Joy, beautiful spark of divinity,

Tochter aus Elysium. Daughter from Elysium.

Wir betreten feuertrunken We enter, burning with fervor,

Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! heavenly being, your sanctuary!

Deine Zauber binden wieder Your magic brings together

Was die Mode streng geteilt; what custom has sternly divided;

Alle Menschen werden Brueder, All men shall become brothers,

wo dein sanfter Fluegel weilt. Wherever your gently wing hovers.

Wem der grosse Wurf gelungen Whoever has been lucky enough

Eines Freundes Freund zu sein, to become a friend to a friend,

Wer ein holdes Weib errungen Whoever has found a beloved wife,

Mische seinen Jubel ein! let him join in the jubilation!

Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele Yes, and anyone who can call one soul

Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund! His own on this earth!

Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der steel And who cannot, let them slink away

weinend sich aus diesem Bund. from this gathering in tears.

Freude trinken alle Wesen Every creature drinks in joy

An den Bruesten der Natur; At nature’s breast;

Alle Guten, alle Boesen Good and Evil alike

Folgen ihrer Rosenspur. Follow her trail of roses.

Kuesse gab sie uns und Reben, She gave us kisses and wine,

Einen Freund geprueft im Tod; A true friend, even in death;

Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, Even the worm was given desire,

und der Cherub steht vor Gott. And the cherub stands before God.

Froh wie seine Sonnen fliegen Gladly, as his suns hurtle

Durch des Himmels praecht’gen Plan, Through the glorious universe,

Laufet, Brueder, eure Bahn, So you, brothers, should run your course,

Freudig wie ein Held zu Siegen. Joyfully like a conquering hero.

Seid umschlungen Millionen! Be embraced, you millions!

Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt! This kiss is for the whole world!

Brueder ueber’m Sternenzelt Brothers, above the canopy of stars

Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen. Must dwell a loving Father.

Ihr stuerzt nieder, Millionen? Do you bow down before Him, millions?

Ahnest Du den Schoepfer, Welt? Do you sense the Creator, world?

Such ihn ueber’m Sternenzelt. Seek him above the canopy of stars.

Ueber Sternen muss er wohnen. He must dwell beyond the stars.

Tags: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, European National Anthem, fall of the Berlin Wall, Friedrich Schiller, Leonard Bernstein, Ludwig van Beethoven, Ode an die Freude, Ode to Joy
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Judging the poor versus the rich

Thursday, March 23rd, 2017

To blame the poor for subsisting on welfare has no justice unless we are also willing to judge every rich member of society by how productive he or she is. Taken individual by individual, it is likely that there’s more idleness and abuse of government favors among the economically privileged than among the ranks of the disadvantaged.

— Norman Mailer

The poor versus the rich. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Tags: fairness, idleness, poor, productivity, rich, welfare
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Donkey Down the Well

Monday, March 20th, 2017

The story of the donkey down the well is an old fable that I think of whenever I feel unappreciated or treated unfairly. I don’t know when or where this inspirational story originated, but it goes something like this:

One day a farmer’s donkey fell into his well. For hours the animal cried pitifully while the farmer tried to figure out what to do. His donkey was old, and the well was dry and of no use to him anymore. The shaft should have been covered up years ago. Now the farmer had a big problem. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get the old donkey out of the well. With a heavy heart, the farmer decided that it would be best to cover it up, donkey or no donkey. The animal would perish, but the farmer saw no viable alternatives.

He asked all the neighboring farmers to come and help him cover up the well. Each man grabbed a shovel and began to scoop dirt onto the back of the animal in the shaft. The donkey soon realized what was happening and cried dolefully. The men shoveled faster to hasten the end, and after a while, the donkey stopped crying. The farmer and his friends looked down the well.

To their surprise, they saw something unexpected. With each shovel full of dirt that had hit its back, the donkey had shaken it off and let the dirt fall to the ground around him. Then he had simply lifted his foot and taken a step up onto the newly deposited dirt. As the farmer and his neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, the donkey continued to shake it off and to take small steps up. After enduring many shovels full of dirt coming his way, the donkey was finally able to step over the edge of the well and happily trot off.

The Donkey down the well, photo courtesy of mylifeyoga.com

Moral of the story: Who hasn’t been the donkey at some point in life? I know I have. Now, whenever I find myself in that position, I picture the donkey and try to conquer the obstructions in my path. I look for opportunities that get me to where I want be rather than try to fight what is happening around me. Try it yourself. Picture the donkey, then shake off any unfairness, inequity, discrimination, intolerance, chauvinism, bigotry, prejudice, racism or bias and use them as a stepping stones to where you want to be.

Tags: bias, bigotry, chauvinism, choices, discrimination, donkey, inequity, inspirational story, intolerance, prejudice, racism, unfairness, well
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