First let me say, I am so glad to be done with my sabbatical reading, and I am glad I saved a short book for last. However, I might have gotten more out of it before I read "Earth-Honoring Faith" because many of the concepts that Larry Rasmussen used come from Thomas Berry, and then delve even deeper.
"The Sacred Universe" is a collection of essays and articles that Thomas Berry wrote over the years beginning in the '70s until 2001. In these essays, the author goes over the history of the universe, the earth, and human history, to show us where we come from and that we are connected to everything else in the universe. He also shows very clearly how we got here--how we became alienated from the rest of nature to which we belong and then exploited it for our own use, ignoring what is sacred in all of life. He offers a couple of different options for the future. We can continue on this course, leading to our own partial or complete destruction and considerable loss of life for the other creatures of this earth--a de-creation that rips apart the work God does in the book of Genesis and losing the primary revelation of God. Or we can find a way to be live-giving to our mother, the earth, and the creatures that share this home with us.
He offers some points to help us move forward. He says we need to celebrate and incorporate into our religious liturgies the mysteries of the universe including the beginning of the universe, the time when photosynthesis first came into being, the first trees, the first flowers, and so on. Religion can help us heal the alienation from the world we live in and instead connect us with all living things and the holy within God's creation.
The author also spent some time on the rights of all living things. We have written into our US Constitution, the rights to do what we want with "our" property. However that isn't going to work going forward. Because all living things impact each one of us, and we are destroying this world and ourselves with it, we must accept limits and honor the sacred "rights" of all of God's creation.
Berry says that we must learn to see in new ways, like a child learning to see and delighting in what is beautiful and mysterious. He says we need to learn a new language--the language of this Earth, because it is trying to tell us something important about who we are and how we can relate to non-human life.
Finally he gives some starting places for communities and organizations that are attempting to live in more life-affirming ways and help the rest of us see and hear and imagine a new future and a new direction. He ends on this hopeful note, yet is realistic about the interests and orientation that will stand in the way. A new orientation is not just important, but it is a life and death matter for us and many other creatures. Either way, God is present and glorious. The question is whether we will see that and honor that and celebrate that.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
"Earth-Honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key" by Larry L. Rasmussen
Just finished reading "Earth-Honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key" by Larry L. Rasmussen. I know I will be returning to this book often in the next couple of years. It was somewhat overwhelming, because it really illuminated the path we are on, as human beings, toward our own destruction, but also put so much stock in faith as a key component in the changes we must make to survive and thrive and ensure that life of all kinds also thrives.
He starts with a series of "hockey-stick graphs" that show how CO2 is rising at unprecedented levels and how this is causing a ton of other "hockey-stick graphs" regarding the acceleration of extinctions, floods, consumption, water use, ozone depletion, erosion, and many other factors. The visual of all these graphs shows just how extreme conditions are becoming and are meant to wake us up that we can't keep going in the direction we're going.
I actually felt flattered that the author would put so much faith in faith traditions to help us change our trajectory toward our own destruction. Especially in light of all the negative associations people have with communities of faith and faith traditions. Of course the author is a man of faith and a professor emeritus at a religious seminary. However, he made a great case for why faith traditions and communities are good places to help us move forward.
The author wrote about faith communities being grounded in tradition and history that helped them see a bigger picture. He pointed out scriptures from all faith traditions about God's presence in and through the world we live in. He seemed to think that faith communities already know how to envision a better future and work toward it together, because we have tools to build community and work together.
He was also honest about the downside of faith. We can easily use our faith to try to stay comfortable and never change.
The author specifically mentioned some aspects of faith tradition that can help us move forward. These include asceticism, which means respectful use of material possessions, a sense of the sacred, mystical experience that takes us beyond ourselves into a comprehensive oneness with God, each other, and the world, liberation theology and its focus on justice and shared power, and Sophia Wisdom that is present in scripture long before any human being entered the picture and that orders the universe and calls us to responsibility.
This was a very moving book, and I look forward to looking through it again soon for ideas and inspiration.
He starts with a series of "hockey-stick graphs" that show how CO2 is rising at unprecedented levels and how this is causing a ton of other "hockey-stick graphs" regarding the acceleration of extinctions, floods, consumption, water use, ozone depletion, erosion, and many other factors. The visual of all these graphs shows just how extreme conditions are becoming and are meant to wake us up that we can't keep going in the direction we're going.
I actually felt flattered that the author would put so much faith in faith traditions to help us change our trajectory toward our own destruction. Especially in light of all the negative associations people have with communities of faith and faith traditions. Of course the author is a man of faith and a professor emeritus at a religious seminary. However, he made a great case for why faith traditions and communities are good places to help us move forward.
The author wrote about faith communities being grounded in tradition and history that helped them see a bigger picture. He pointed out scriptures from all faith traditions about God's presence in and through the world we live in. He seemed to think that faith communities already know how to envision a better future and work toward it together, because we have tools to build community and work together.
He was also honest about the downside of faith. We can easily use our faith to try to stay comfortable and never change.
The author specifically mentioned some aspects of faith tradition that can help us move forward. These include asceticism, which means respectful use of material possessions, a sense of the sacred, mystical experience that takes us beyond ourselves into a comprehensive oneness with God, each other, and the world, liberation theology and its focus on justice and shared power, and Sophia Wisdom that is present in scripture long before any human being entered the picture and that orders the universe and calls us to responsibility.
This was a very moving book, and I look forward to looking through it again soon for ideas and inspiration.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
"Gardening when it counts: Growing food in hard times"
Over the past two weeks, I have been reading "Gardening when it counts: Growing food in hard times" by Steve Solomon. I wanted to read this book because I am convinced that climate change is going to make it harder to grow a home garden, but also more necessary to do so. I also learned some helpful tips for starting a garden at the church if we decide to do so. This book was full of interesting, helpful information. I hope to implement what I've learned in the coming years.
The author lived and grew a garden in Oregon for many years, so much of his experience is applicable to my garden. He wrote about soils, nutrients, composting, and a recipe for his favorite fertilizer. He wrote about plant placement, root systems, cover crops, and watering. I am probably overwatering. If we come to a time when we need to conserve water more, it will be important to space plants far apart. I learned about diseases and pests. And there was a whole chapter devoted to each kind of plant, individually.
I realized that we might not need to put up raised beds at the church. The author prefers mounds because then the gardener can hoe out any rocks or dirt clods. Spaces could me marked off with string attached to little posts. That would save a lot of money and work on community garden spaces.
This book is full of detailed information. As a result of what I have been reading, I have already reduced my watering and pulled up several volunteer tomato plants from the garden. There just isn't space for those plants to take moisture and nutrients from my healthy strong plants that have already set tomatoes on the vine. I am excited to try some of the author's techniques at home and hopefully at church, if the congregation is interesting in being a garden site.
The author lived and grew a garden in Oregon for many years, so much of his experience is applicable to my garden. He wrote about soils, nutrients, composting, and a recipe for his favorite fertilizer. He wrote about plant placement, root systems, cover crops, and watering. I am probably overwatering. If we come to a time when we need to conserve water more, it will be important to space plants far apart. I learned about diseases and pests. And there was a whole chapter devoted to each kind of plant, individually.
I realized that we might not need to put up raised beds at the church. The author prefers mounds because then the gardener can hoe out any rocks or dirt clods. Spaces could me marked off with string attached to little posts. That would save a lot of money and work on community garden spaces.
This book is full of detailed information. As a result of what I have been reading, I have already reduced my watering and pulled up several volunteer tomato plants from the garden. There just isn't space for those plants to take moisture and nutrients from my healthy strong plants that have already set tomatoes on the vine. I am excited to try some of the author's techniques at home and hopefully at church, if the congregation is interesting in being a garden site.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
"Resilience Thinking" by Brian Walker and David Salt
"Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World" was a very interesting read, because the concepts apply very much to congregations and how they can be resilient, as well as ecosystems.
The authors write about all of life having a cycle of new life where there is fast growth and lots of innovation, followed by a time of sustaining growth in which a system grows more efficient, then when the system can't be sustained anymore it ends or dies, and finally it reorganizes. These parts of the cycle don't always happen in order. The authors also write about "regime shifts" which happen when a system crosses into a new way of operating. For example, one regime shift from the book has occurred in one area of Australia where the water table has risen, bringing salt up to the topsoil and making it very hard to grow food. Once a system has crossed into a new regime, it can be very difficult or impossible to get back to the way things were.
Resilience is the amount of change a system can undergo and still stay in the same regime--still retain the same function, structure, and effects. Resilience is often lost when a system is getting more efficient. Many of the safety nets can be lost as a system specializes in just one way of doing things. Resilience can increase when there is redundancy--lots of similar work being done in different ways. Resilience can increase when creativity is nurtured and many options are left open.
The book encourages us to see each system as a whole, rather than just the part that benefits us. Understanding the interactions of all the different parts can help us understand how one part of a system will react when we try to enhance the part that benefits us. In ecological systems this can help us make better decisions before a system crosses over into a regime that is undesirable. In churches, too, we can find opportune moments to be creative so that our system is sustainable in a changing world and meets many needs rather than just a few. When we use resilience thinking, we prepare ourselves for future changes and make sure we can continue to share God's love in a way our neighbors need us to most.
The authors write about all of life having a cycle of new life where there is fast growth and lots of innovation, followed by a time of sustaining growth in which a system grows more efficient, then when the system can't be sustained anymore it ends or dies, and finally it reorganizes. These parts of the cycle don't always happen in order. The authors also write about "regime shifts" which happen when a system crosses into a new way of operating. For example, one regime shift from the book has occurred in one area of Australia where the water table has risen, bringing salt up to the topsoil and making it very hard to grow food. Once a system has crossed into a new regime, it can be very difficult or impossible to get back to the way things were.
Resilience is the amount of change a system can undergo and still stay in the same regime--still retain the same function, structure, and effects. Resilience is often lost when a system is getting more efficient. Many of the safety nets can be lost as a system specializes in just one way of doing things. Resilience can increase when there is redundancy--lots of similar work being done in different ways. Resilience can increase when creativity is nurtured and many options are left open.
The book encourages us to see each system as a whole, rather than just the part that benefits us. Understanding the interactions of all the different parts can help us understand how one part of a system will react when we try to enhance the part that benefits us. In ecological systems this can help us make better decisions before a system crosses over into a regime that is undesirable. In churches, too, we can find opportune moments to be creative so that our system is sustainable in a changing world and meets many needs rather than just a few. When we use resilience thinking, we prepare ourselves for future changes and make sure we can continue to share God's love in a way our neighbors need us to most.
Friday, June 19, 2015
"Earth Community Earth Ethics" by Larry L. Rasmussen
Finished my second book of my sabbatical "Earth Community Earth Ethics" by Larry L. Rasmussen.
I got a lot out of this book and am hoping to integrate what I've read here into prayers and liturgies and actions for the congregation when I get back.
The author names clearly the divide we've made as humans between ourselves and everything else, making ourselves the most important and only consideration, and disregarding the lives of other creatures on this earth. This is a false divide, however, since our well-being is dependent on the plant and animal life on our planet. He returns again and again to Genesis when all the animals are made out of Earth/dirt, including Adam--the animal named after the Earth "Adama" and made in the image of God. We are all of the same substance, and this backed up in science when we see how closely human and animal DNA is, as well as how cells work in all living things, plants included.
Our false division of our life over and against all other life has allowed us or encouraged us to abuse nature, the Earth, other living things for our own benefit and their extreme detriment and even extinction. This has been the idolatry of putting ourselves in the center instead of God.
When we put God at the center, we treat all living things the way God does--helping them flourish and encouraging them to multiply. This is what it means that we are made in the image of God. We get to assist God in making sure that creation is nurtured and growing.
One point that especially caught my attention was about the creation story. Humans have often seen ourselves as the pinnacle of creation since we were created last out of all the creatures. However, the author points out that the last thing created was Sabbath, and that Sabbath is the pinnacle of creation. Yet, Sabbath, or a time of rest, is something that we have forgotten that would do us and all of creation some good. Sabbath was not just meant as a rest for humans, but also our animals and land were to rest. It is good for all creation and humankind to rest, and to stop for a moment working and taking from the rest of creation, to listen to God, and listen to each other, the plants and animals included.
Another point that touched me was that we could not survive one moment without "nature," but that it would survive better without us and actually has survived for most of the Earth's existence. Therefore, this Earth was not made for us. It has other purposes. Whether we will survive will depend on our ability to envision a new way of living as part of this Creation instead of constantly taking from it, treating it as a dump.
The author believes that our faith will aid us in the times ahead. Our faith helps prepare us for big changes, whether we decide to change how we relate to the Earth, or our Earth changes so much we have no choice. It is helpful because our faith helps us express our yearning "to see things whole and sacred."(p. 178) Our faith helps us to envision the sacred, helps us find the words and images that express our deepest hopes. Our faith helps us understand our place, where we've come from and where we are going, and that we will never be alone on that journey, even though we don't necessarily know the path we will take. Our faith can give us the courage to do something, even though we don't have all the answers or even know much of the territory at all.
Martin Luther's Theology of the Cross is referenced for one possible way forward. Luther saw the presence of God in every creature and all of creation. He saw the world and all of creation as God wearing masks, God's very presence in our midst, disguised as a grain of wheat or a bird or another person, at the same time that the creatures' essence was also there. But he saw the most compelling glimpse of God in Jesus because of his compassion--his "suffering-with." Com=with, passion=suffering. The theory is that only one that has suffered all can overcome all. Because of Jesus' suffering, he is truly suffering with all of creation that is hurt, damaged, destroyed. God is found in the beauty of creation but also in the pollution and the destruction of the earth. Whenever we hurt the Earth, we hurt God. But with God, it never ends at death and destruction. We can look there for the power of life and renewal. Our compassion for the Earth as earth-creatures made in God's image, we suffer with the earth, but we do not lose hope. Instead we envision with God the healing of the world and we are inspired to go forward in a different way.
The reader is then guided in a vision going forward to spur us in hope. One of the first steps is about community. We need to know our neighbors, both the human and nonhuman ones. We need to know each other so that we can work together. The author advocates "designing industrial systems in tune with natures economy." (p. 326) He cites an example already at work in Denmark in which a power plant recycles its steam heat to other businesses and homes in town, a refinery removes the sulfur from its exhaust and sells it to a chemical company that can use it, a pharmaceutical company gives its nitrogen-rich slurry to local farmers who use it for fertilizer, farmers then grow biomass for the pharmaceutical company who then give back the yeast cake from their fermentation vats to the farmers who feed it to their pigs. This town has found a way to take what was waste from each of their industries and help fill a need for others in the community, basically mirroring nature's way of recycling everything back into the system for the good of all. The author offers some other ways of expressing values that take into account all of creation and many other examples around the world of communities working together for the good of every member of the community, human, animal, or plant. But he says, there is no one single answer for every place. We all have to get together with those around us and figure out what is best for our community and then take action, working together.
I decided that one action I will take after reading this book, is to offer my homemade laundry and dishwashing detergent to those around me. Commercially made detergents must be shipped from far away. They weigh a lot which takes a lot of fuel to ship. They are full of perfumes that cause cancer. They are expensive to buy. I will offer my detergents, which cost me pennies to make, but are safe for the environment and for today's washing machines. I will first offer free samples so people can make sure they like them. After that, I will barter my detergent for goods that others offer me. This removes us from the consumer economy. It also builds a bond of community.
Also, after reading this book, I biked 4.3 miles to pick up my son from preschool and 4.3 miles back home! We have to start somewhere.
I got a lot out of this book and am hoping to integrate what I've read here into prayers and liturgies and actions for the congregation when I get back.
The author names clearly the divide we've made as humans between ourselves and everything else, making ourselves the most important and only consideration, and disregarding the lives of other creatures on this earth. This is a false divide, however, since our well-being is dependent on the plant and animal life on our planet. He returns again and again to Genesis when all the animals are made out of Earth/dirt, including Adam--the animal named after the Earth "Adama" and made in the image of God. We are all of the same substance, and this backed up in science when we see how closely human and animal DNA is, as well as how cells work in all living things, plants included.
Our false division of our life over and against all other life has allowed us or encouraged us to abuse nature, the Earth, other living things for our own benefit and their extreme detriment and even extinction. This has been the idolatry of putting ourselves in the center instead of God.
When we put God at the center, we treat all living things the way God does--helping them flourish and encouraging them to multiply. This is what it means that we are made in the image of God. We get to assist God in making sure that creation is nurtured and growing.
One point that especially caught my attention was about the creation story. Humans have often seen ourselves as the pinnacle of creation since we were created last out of all the creatures. However, the author points out that the last thing created was Sabbath, and that Sabbath is the pinnacle of creation. Yet, Sabbath, or a time of rest, is something that we have forgotten that would do us and all of creation some good. Sabbath was not just meant as a rest for humans, but also our animals and land were to rest. It is good for all creation and humankind to rest, and to stop for a moment working and taking from the rest of creation, to listen to God, and listen to each other, the plants and animals included.
Another point that touched me was that we could not survive one moment without "nature," but that it would survive better without us and actually has survived for most of the Earth's existence. Therefore, this Earth was not made for us. It has other purposes. Whether we will survive will depend on our ability to envision a new way of living as part of this Creation instead of constantly taking from it, treating it as a dump.
The author believes that our faith will aid us in the times ahead. Our faith helps prepare us for big changes, whether we decide to change how we relate to the Earth, or our Earth changes so much we have no choice. It is helpful because our faith helps us express our yearning "to see things whole and sacred."(p. 178) Our faith helps us to envision the sacred, helps us find the words and images that express our deepest hopes. Our faith helps us understand our place, where we've come from and where we are going, and that we will never be alone on that journey, even though we don't necessarily know the path we will take. Our faith can give us the courage to do something, even though we don't have all the answers or even know much of the territory at all.
Martin Luther's Theology of the Cross is referenced for one possible way forward. Luther saw the presence of God in every creature and all of creation. He saw the world and all of creation as God wearing masks, God's very presence in our midst, disguised as a grain of wheat or a bird or another person, at the same time that the creatures' essence was also there. But he saw the most compelling glimpse of God in Jesus because of his compassion--his "suffering-with." Com=with, passion=suffering. The theory is that only one that has suffered all can overcome all. Because of Jesus' suffering, he is truly suffering with all of creation that is hurt, damaged, destroyed. God is found in the beauty of creation but also in the pollution and the destruction of the earth. Whenever we hurt the Earth, we hurt God. But with God, it never ends at death and destruction. We can look there for the power of life and renewal. Our compassion for the Earth as earth-creatures made in God's image, we suffer with the earth, but we do not lose hope. Instead we envision with God the healing of the world and we are inspired to go forward in a different way.
The reader is then guided in a vision going forward to spur us in hope. One of the first steps is about community. We need to know our neighbors, both the human and nonhuman ones. We need to know each other so that we can work together. The author advocates "designing industrial systems in tune with natures economy." (p. 326) He cites an example already at work in Denmark in which a power plant recycles its steam heat to other businesses and homes in town, a refinery removes the sulfur from its exhaust and sells it to a chemical company that can use it, a pharmaceutical company gives its nitrogen-rich slurry to local farmers who use it for fertilizer, farmers then grow biomass for the pharmaceutical company who then give back the yeast cake from their fermentation vats to the farmers who feed it to their pigs. This town has found a way to take what was waste from each of their industries and help fill a need for others in the community, basically mirroring nature's way of recycling everything back into the system for the good of all. The author offers some other ways of expressing values that take into account all of creation and many other examples around the world of communities working together for the good of every member of the community, human, animal, or plant. But he says, there is no one single answer for every place. We all have to get together with those around us and figure out what is best for our community and then take action, working together.
I decided that one action I will take after reading this book, is to offer my homemade laundry and dishwashing detergent to those around me. Commercially made detergents must be shipped from far away. They weigh a lot which takes a lot of fuel to ship. They are full of perfumes that cause cancer. They are expensive to buy. I will offer my detergents, which cost me pennies to make, but are safe for the environment and for today's washing machines. I will first offer free samples so people can make sure they like them. After that, I will barter my detergent for goods that others offer me. This removes us from the consumer economy. It also builds a bond of community.
Also, after reading this book, I biked 4.3 miles to pick up my son from preschool and 4.3 miles back home! We have to start somewhere.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Silent Spring
The first sabbatical book I read was "Silent Spring," by Rachel Carson. This is a classic. I can't believe I hadn't read it before. It was the book that got DDT banned. I was concerned it was going to be all outdated, but I got a lot out of it. If you haven't read it, I recommend it. If you don't want to read the whole thing, I especially recommend chapters 11. Beyond the Dreams of the Borgias and 14. One in Every Four.
This book was not out of date, as 2-4D is still in use, and although we may not see as much spraying from the skies, people have been marketed home weed-killers and pesticides which are very difficult to use, store, and dispose of properly. Part of this I learned in my Master Gardener Class. Each herbicide or insecticide has a directions on it which are a contract that the one purchasing is making to use, store, and dispose of the poison properly and should be reviewed before each use. But most of us don't read the label and even if we do, we often don't or can't do the math to know how much to apply to our area, or when conditions are right to use the product safely (ie there isn't sufficient wind to blow the poison onto something we or our neighbors don't want it on.)
We see these products as safe, but they can be very dangerous. On our yards--we wonder why our pets get all these cancers. In our water--we wonder why there are these massive fish die-offs, or why the Willamette River is so polluted we are afraid to eat fish caught there. In our parks and trees--we wonder why the bees are dying and in certain places we find huge numbers of birds destroyed.
To think that we can't co-exist with insects is erroneous. Our welfare depends on them. The pollinate our food. They break down our waste so that plants can use the vitamins and nutrients. When we kill them off we ensure our own destruction.
But it isn't all doom and gloom. This book started this country examining our use of chemicals in the environment and got DDT and several others banned. She offers the alternative of using natural predators to attack insects and plants that are invasive and noxious. The Earth is resilient. Healing can and does happen.
This book was not out of date, as 2-4D is still in use, and although we may not see as much spraying from the skies, people have been marketed home weed-killers and pesticides which are very difficult to use, store, and dispose of properly. Part of this I learned in my Master Gardener Class. Each herbicide or insecticide has a directions on it which are a contract that the one purchasing is making to use, store, and dispose of the poison properly and should be reviewed before each use. But most of us don't read the label and even if we do, we often don't or can't do the math to know how much to apply to our area, or when conditions are right to use the product safely (ie there isn't sufficient wind to blow the poison onto something we or our neighbors don't want it on.)
We see these products as safe, but they can be very dangerous. On our yards--we wonder why our pets get all these cancers. In our water--we wonder why there are these massive fish die-offs, or why the Willamette River is so polluted we are afraid to eat fish caught there. In our parks and trees--we wonder why the bees are dying and in certain places we find huge numbers of birds destroyed.
To think that we can't co-exist with insects is erroneous. Our welfare depends on them. The pollinate our food. They break down our waste so that plants can use the vitamins and nutrients. When we kill them off we ensure our own destruction.
But it isn't all doom and gloom. This book started this country examining our use of chemicals in the environment and got DDT and several others banned. She offers the alternative of using natural predators to attack insects and plants that are invasive and noxious. The Earth is resilient. Healing can and does happen.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Day 10 Munich
When we woke up, Nick was still feeling awful. I boiled some water for him put his head over the steam to loosen his sinuses and I massaged his head. It was raining as we drove on to Munich. There were several options of things to do in Munich, but we were getting tired of museums. We had both noticed before we left that Dachau was so close to Munich. I guess I thought concentration camps were far from anywhere else. We thought we'd at least go drive to Dachau to see where it was and see how the weather was at that point.
Dachau was right there in the town. The town has probably grown up around it in the last 60 years, but still it was right there in town. The rain had slowed to a sprinkle, so we parked and walked to the visitor's center. Dachau is very raw. It is mostly open-air. It is not glossed over or painted over or dressed up. We walked along a gravel path. Because of the rain, it was full of puddles of water. There was no smoothing over this path. We walked that path that prisoners and victims had walked after being dropped off by the trains. The front gate had provided offices for Nazis overseeing the camps and had been the location of torture.
We went through the gate that said, "Arbeit Macht Frei." I thought this was only on the Auschwitz Gate. This is the gate that was stolen a few years ago. They had to make a new one.
We went to the right, to the prisoner area. These were individual cells for those who had caused trouble and were later used after the war to hold Nazi war criminals. There were pictures of some who had been held in these cells and accounts of those who had been imprisoned here. At one end there were cells for pastors and priests who had refused to cooperate with the Nazis.
Outside this complex was an open-air area for public humiliation and torture, as well as hanging and firing squad wall.
The next building over held more of the museum part. There were so many different stages of the war and holocaust. Sometimes they were trying to kill more Jews. Sometimes they needed them to live longer. At one point there was an attempt on Hitler's life that nearly succeeded. Then thousands of people were rounded up and sent to camps. Dachau was more of an infirmary, where sick people were sent. It wasn't until near the end of the war, when the other camps were evacuated to Dachau, that women and children came there, too. Dachau was the first camp established and the first liberated. Over 200,000 people died there--were murdered there. Even after the camp was liberated some people had to continue to stay there because there had been an outbreak of typhus because of the camp being so overfull of people moved there from other camps. These people needed to be nursed back to health.
Outside this building, there was a big yard. People were forced to stand here for hours, if someone tried to escape, or for various other offenses. Many died standing there. In this yard are some works of art trying to depict the range of feelings one encounters at Dachau including the inscription "Never Again" in many different languages.
We walked across the yard to the rebuilt barracks, where people slept on bunks 3 high. Toward the middle was an area with benches and in the center were the bathrooms. There had been 34 of these barracks, but only the one stands today--as I said, rebuilt.
We walked to the back of the camp where there are several areas of prayer, one Jewish, one Roman Catholic and one Protestant. Even further to the left, outside the perimeter is one Orthodox. We walked along the perimeter where some threw themselves when they couldn't take it anymore and were shot. Then we crossed to the crematorium. People were not routinely gassed in large groups at this facility, but some smaller groups were. It was hard to imagine that people could do this to one another.
It was a very moving experience to be on those grounds.
Munich is less than a half hour away. We found our hotel and checked in. We were right next to the main train station, which was a pain to have a car there. Every train in the city converges right there and traffic was terrible. We left our car at the hotel and headed out on the train. First we went to a record store. Again I walked around the block and found an Oxfam store. I bought a shirt for Sterling and a few scarves.
We took the train to go to the Hofbrauhaus, the oldest, largest beer hall in Germany or something like that. JFK had visited there. When we got off the bus, we found ourselves in a town square next to the rathaus, which was an amazing building. Here is a picture of the fountain there:
Then we got lost walking to the Hofbrauhaus. We found it about 45 minutes later. It was full of people. You just sit down any old place. The band was playing. We found a table and it turns out our table mates were from San Diego. They were really the first Americans we had talked to since arriving in Germany. Then when they left, the next couple was German, but they have put in their papers to move to Florida if they get the chance. They don't like all the German rules and regulations. They like the sun and the beach. They explained to us that all the fields of yellow flowers in Germany are for making biofuel. They complained about that--with all the hungry people in the world. And they complained about the German government promising people huge subsidies to put solar panels on their homes and now going back on that promise. It was an interesting inside view of German politics. What we had seen as good (renewable energy everywhere) is not always seen that way.
We drank a lot of beer--standard size is about a pitcher here in the US. Fortunately, the beer there has lower alcohol content so much more can be consumed before one gets drunk. We found our train back to our hotel and went to sleep, ready to leave for the airport in the morning.
A couple of other reflections on Germany: There are no billboards. It is so refreshing to drive and be able to see the beautiful land and not always see advertising. There is no litter. Everything is so clean. Also, we saw less than 10 homeless people the entire time we were there. We especially liked Hannover and found it liveable with concentrated neighborhoods and trains connecting everywhere, little balcony gardens, and people walking and biking. In the smaller towns, people were not very friendly, which I can understand, and maybe it was just about us being American or because of the nearby army base, I don't know. Anyway, I'm glad we came and I am glad we are going home!
This concludes my account of our trip. I'll try to post occasionally about my sabbatical.
We went through the gate that said, "Arbeit Macht Frei." I thought this was only on the Auschwitz Gate. This is the gate that was stolen a few years ago. They had to make a new one.
We went to the right, to the prisoner area. These were individual cells for those who had caused trouble and were later used after the war to hold Nazi war criminals. There were pictures of some who had been held in these cells and accounts of those who had been imprisoned here. At one end there were cells for pastors and priests who had refused to cooperate with the Nazis.
Outside this complex was an open-air area for public humiliation and torture, as well as hanging and firing squad wall.
The next building over held more of the museum part. There were so many different stages of the war and holocaust. Sometimes they were trying to kill more Jews. Sometimes they needed them to live longer. At one point there was an attempt on Hitler's life that nearly succeeded. Then thousands of people were rounded up and sent to camps. Dachau was more of an infirmary, where sick people were sent. It wasn't until near the end of the war, when the other camps were evacuated to Dachau, that women and children came there, too. Dachau was the first camp established and the first liberated. Over 200,000 people died there--were murdered there. Even after the camp was liberated some people had to continue to stay there because there had been an outbreak of typhus because of the camp being so overfull of people moved there from other camps. These people needed to be nursed back to health.
Outside this building, there was a big yard. People were forced to stand here for hours, if someone tried to escape, or for various other offenses. Many died standing there. In this yard are some works of art trying to depict the range of feelings one encounters at Dachau including the inscription "Never Again" in many different languages.
We walked across the yard to the rebuilt barracks, where people slept on bunks 3 high. Toward the middle was an area with benches and in the center were the bathrooms. There had been 34 of these barracks, but only the one stands today--as I said, rebuilt.
We walked to the back of the camp where there are several areas of prayer, one Jewish, one Roman Catholic and one Protestant. Even further to the left, outside the perimeter is one Orthodox. We walked along the perimeter where some threw themselves when they couldn't take it anymore and were shot. Then we crossed to the crematorium. People were not routinely gassed in large groups at this facility, but some smaller groups were. It was hard to imagine that people could do this to one another.
It was a very moving experience to be on those grounds.
Munich is less than a half hour away. We found our hotel and checked in. We were right next to the main train station, which was a pain to have a car there. Every train in the city converges right there and traffic was terrible. We left our car at the hotel and headed out on the train. First we went to a record store. Again I walked around the block and found an Oxfam store. I bought a shirt for Sterling and a few scarves.
We took the train to go to the Hofbrauhaus, the oldest, largest beer hall in Germany or something like that. JFK had visited there. When we got off the bus, we found ourselves in a town square next to the rathaus, which was an amazing building. Here is a picture of the fountain there:
We drank a lot of beer--standard size is about a pitcher here in the US. Fortunately, the beer there has lower alcohol content so much more can be consumed before one gets drunk. We found our train back to our hotel and went to sleep, ready to leave for the airport in the morning.
A couple of other reflections on Germany: There are no billboards. It is so refreshing to drive and be able to see the beautiful land and not always see advertising. There is no litter. Everything is so clean. Also, we saw less than 10 homeless people the entire time we were there. We especially liked Hannover and found it liveable with concentrated neighborhoods and trains connecting everywhere, little balcony gardens, and people walking and biking. In the smaller towns, people were not very friendly, which I can understand, and maybe it was just about us being American or because of the nearby army base, I don't know. Anyway, I'm glad we came and I am glad we are going home!
This concludes my account of our trip. I'll try to post occasionally about my sabbatical.
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