God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

07/02/2021 • 6:09 pm Comments Off on A visit to Nuremberg

A visit to Nuremberg

Visiting Nuremberg on my trip through Germany, I was invited to walk the site of the Nazi Party rallies – learning about the size, madness and logic behind an area featuring several huge buildings either unfinished or now crumbling , a parade street and the Zeppelin field for deployment of hundred-thousand of people to listen and worship the “Führer”.

Listening to our guide, I once again realised how mass events can be tools of dictators and fascist leaders to melt the individual into a mass, triggering unison reactions whilst the individual stops thinking.

It reminded me the spectacle of the Chinese Communist Party in Peking we just witnessed, celebrating 100 years of Communist dictatorship in a mass spectacle, carefully choreographed. Add the parades in North Korea or Russia, but I guess one cannot forget the trial runs of Donald Trump and his events in this regard: people forged into a mass forgetting reason, proper thinking, and they act as one body in the direction those in charge wanted them to go.

Nuremberg has once again reminded me of the perverted ways of designing a world according to a leader or party’s vision; it has reminded me again how important it is to resist even traces of phasing and manipulating and equalizing the thought mechanisms of the majority.

In this context I think about Hong Kong and Crimea, but I also reflect on Hungary and Poland; it comes to mind also the greatest nation on earth, as the citizen of the USA call themselves. The Republican Party in the USA shows how fast a usual democracy supporting party can drift into almost fascistic and manipulative shallow waters, following one dominant person while punishing anybody daring to disagree.

As supporters of democracy, we have to be on guard and as human rights activists we have to resist attempts to curtail or diminish human rights and human freedom. Democracy and freedom are no fast selling item, but values to be fought for every day. And they are values we should be grateful for every day.

Filed under: Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , , ,

10/10/2020 • 9:09 am Comments Off on Roma locuta and other anxieties

Roma locuta and other anxieties

Roma locuta causa finita – Rome has spoken, the discussion is over, so goes the proverbial attitude within the Catholic Church pointing out that the final verdict in the Roman-Catholic church always is a Vatican located one. Rome is speaking a lot in our days – be it about the synodal process in Germany, be it about the Synod of Trier and its decisions, be it on valid baptisms and other theological matters.
And looking also across the aisle into the political and social arena to the floods of words on social media, spearheaded by a twitter-happy Donald Trump, the armies of automated bots and paid pen or keyboard holding soldiers, one can drown in the flood of words and verdicts, of opinions and analysis being encountered opening the email box, social media or news outlets.

And in so many cases, be it Roma or the warrior behind the keyboard, it seems that whatever is said or voiced carries often the smell of eternal truth, to be defended and backed up either with dogma or ideology depending on the arena it plays out. Strength and power are on display, conviction and verbal muscle play.

I don’t know, but in a world battling to understand the blessings and curse of a digitally connected world and a human race being challenged to either develop or to disappear, I see tons of anxieties hidden behind the just described scenario of current times. And this in turn leads to the yearning for leaders who clearly define black and white, good and bad, right or wrong to make it easier to navigate through a time when nothing seems to be fixed and everything flowing.

And it does not matter which arena you look at: the religious, the political or the social; be it values or certainties of the past: the philosophical concept of Heraclitus called Panta Rhei seems scary to most fellow humans. And Covid-19, the invisible small little bug has doubled down on those personal, social and political uncertainties, fears and anxieties. It has led to more conspiracy theories, which in turn have garnered more disciples from all walks of life and killing rational thinking and common sense on its way.

The human race is at the moment running in a proverbial hamster wheel fuelled by all those anxieties, refusing to stop in its track and just taking a breath and break. And maybe even pay attention to a writing, which was signed in Assisi last week: Fratelli tutti, the third encyclical of Pope Francis which is much more than a letter to only the faithful. Together with Laudato Si and the Abu Dhabi declaration on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together there is a treasurer of wisdom to be found to escape all those anxieties and grandstanding and false religious and political prophets and rabble-rousers of current times. I would add to this the world ethos concept of Prof Hans Küng to cover most aspects of what has to happen to give the human race a fair chance for survival on the long term.

There are many voices of reason – even some coming out of Rome – the question is: will they succeed in being listened to?

Filed under: Catholic Church, General, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , ,

09/24/2020 • 10:16 am Comments Off on Why preventing a second Trump term might be a global necessity

Why preventing a second Trump term might be a global necessity

Elections are national affairs and the saying goes that national affairs remain national. Nations insist on it; especially for totalitarian governments it is a happily used tool to defend actions against their own citizens which don’t match human rights or human decencies. And under normal circumstances elections are indeed a national affair when free and fair. But there are exemption of the rule and the November elections are falling clearly cut out under the exemption.
Why?
The reasons are divers of nature, but to name a few:

Environment: in our global connected we can’t afford any delay in changing our attitude towards climate change. The refusal of the US American President to come to the table has consequences which are far beyond national affairs. Environment is not national any more.

World Peace: The unilateral withdrawal from the deal with Iran regarding nuclear weapons is a clear sign, that international contracts are at liberty to be broken for no valid reason. We see already in Boris Johnson and the EU treaty a follower. Peace between countries is not national, but a global issue in our inter-connected world.

Truth and lies: In a world battling with the fall-out of social media imperia, which have changed the dynamics of every days’ life for almost all connected via internet, promoting obvious lies and so changing a narrative as one goes along in dramatic fashion is poison for the global village. It is an international concern if and when the boundaries between facts and distortion of magnitude becomes the new norm and is copied around the world.

Racism: The human race has come to a point where there is no justification any more for racism, white domination or the promotion of white genes as “good ones” – defending and standing for an artificial concept which has brought hurt, pain, suffering and injustice in the past is against global human and civil rights and no national affair any more.

Gender Equality: Fighting a womaniser is part of a fight for human rights, which are universal. Using and abusing women and young adolescents or making friend with people who do so – and even defending such people is a no-go. Leader of democratic societies have to be on the right side of life, when it comes to this topic. The #metoo wave has provided the clearest indication, that macho behaviour with disregard to women is no national affair any more.

Fascism: History has taught us where this leads to in a society and in a country: a leader, worshipped by followers cult-like and appointments to positions serving society with the only criteria “blind loyalty”  and inflated by pseudo-religious blessings, all before mentioned items are magnified. Being one of the most powerful countries in the world, such tendencies would be a danger beyond “America first”.

The question of Trump is not a question of party politics any more, it is not about different ways to find a way forward in a complex world. The question of Trump goes deeper and touches on core values of the human race, Trump  becomes more and more an ethical problem as he is not a leader of any small country hardly noticed in world politics but a major role player in global affairs.

The people of the USA have the right to abolish their dream of “of the people for the people”; they have the right to change their experience of democracy to whatever governmental form they wish, but in the times of global connectivity the question of environment and the value of truth as well as the abolishment of racism and inequality in all forms are not national items any more. It has become an ethical question that countries of leadership in the global village must be held to higher standards than others.

Trump has also become a symbol of a world system exposed and rattled by a digital future just beginning with social media and information exchange around the world almost in real time – nowhere to hide any more. His twitter account shows the ugly face of an unrestrained white dominant reality insisting of keeping the world as it has been.
Trump also has exposed that human mankind is not that far advanced as most of us thought we are – lies and conspiracy theories find fertile ground in so many people who feel overwhelmed with the new brave world entered by the digital revolution. So maybe a one-term presidency has the benefit of exposing the lack of human development and taught us a lesson needed.

But now we are at a point where the balance of benefit and disadvantage shifts, not only for the US American people but for the global village. Time to keep things in check – and for the sake of humanity, for the sake of the planet, for the sake of the future of the human race on this planet to avoid a second term by all reasonable means possible.

 

Filed under: General, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , ,

01/22/2020 • 7:21 am Comments Off on FridaysForFuture

FridaysForFuture

Even if it is questionable whether it is healthy for young lady Greta long term as a young girl using the world stage to therapize herself there is no doubt that the topic of climate change has reached a multitude of young people. And it has galvanised a youth long been seen as completely a-political and not really interested in anything than their own little pleasures. And as in every generation current youth is allowed to overdo it, put all emotions in it and indeed think that their order of the day is the most important and most essential as the world goes around. When I was young, the use of nuclear warheads and their storage in Germany as well as nuclear energy have been those topics moving us to the core of our young existence.

I would like to see FridaysForFuture reflecting a bit more on another reality that generally hinders the development of realistic changes towards dealing with the climate of our planet: the rise of egocentric and unreasonable politicians and the war between those wanting to preserve a male macho self-serving disturbing ignorant world order and those understanding, that the world has changed. With politicians like Donald Trump, McConnell and others in the USA, Boris Johnson, Viktor Orban, Sebastian Kurz in Europe, MBK in Saudi-Arabia or Vladimir Putin in Russia – to name a few – there will be no future for a world society tackling the climate change as a challenge for the global village. Simply because they don’t see beyond their power-hungry desire let alone understand the need for global social cohesion as a base for real change.

FridaysForFuture will only succeed if their action is framed by a global conscience shared by political leaders and enacted in forms of government recognizing the dependency of every country on each other. Make my country great again slogans and similar arrogance are stumble blocks for any joined action of a world, in which via social media, economics and travel people have reached a point of togetherness besides all existing differences.  The more in-depth realization of this togetherness to overcome remaining inequalities in the world order, in countries, societies or even between human beings related to sex, gender or human dignity is the base for any meaningful global action. Therefore, the movement will have to dig in deeper and political more fundamental if it will have merit and a successful place in the history books.

FridaysForFuture is a child of the digital era which at the moment changes fundamentally the world in a way most people even don’t start to imagine. Only when they understand their role within this scenario they will be a force for good, and they will help to shape a future for the human race which will be so different from the past ways of life. For this to happen, they need the maturity of the older generation giving a helping hand.

Filed under: Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11/10/2019 • 3:56 pm Comments Off on Wall down – challenge up…

Wall down – challenge up…

30 year after the fall of the Berlin wall Germany is celebrating – somehow a bit strange as times seems to be tough and there is a sense that the lessons of history, Nazi Germany, Word War II and the divide for so many years seems to be forgotten. Fascists and Neo-Nazis celebrating within the AfD and the network around another spring – the ” we and them” theme is accepted as kosher again and there are not only those ” eternally right-wing” but normal citizens who are falling into the trap of a democracy allowing for parties which aim it is clearly to demolish exactly the system they use to get into power.

History is repeating itself – and whoever has pondered the question why people did not stand up before the firm manifestation of Nazi Germany and its grip on the citizens did not allow for any resistance anymore can currently learn lessons for life. A in big parts fascist, racist and anti-democratic party gets permission to run in a democratic system; Jews are attacked, politicians threatened, Muslims are called the real devils – and those in power currently are also not very creative how to challenge those dehumanizing tendencies carried by many ” braven Buergern” of the united Germany.

But it is not only Germany – looking at the USA and the experience of a liar and womanizer as president – and so many other countries walking dubious political and social directions –  it carries the question how we came to arrive at a point where humanity, human rights and the awareness of a planet being robbed of all resources are pushed on the backseat while madness is driving humanity in direction extinction.

It is an interesting political, social, psychological and also theological question. Is it the anxiety that the white dominant macho rule comes to an end? Is the answer to find in the overwhelming information stream which our rather stone aged brains cannot handle anymore? Is it the complexity of life we conceptualize but we are unable to deal with and to master? What does it mean for the concept of democracy to live in a digital future transcending physical borders?

Celebrating the fall of the Berlin wall is besides drinking champagne and dancing around the Brandenburg Gate as well as given sombre speeches a time to reflect on what it means for our challenges today. It should be a time to meditate how wrong decisions, how fascism, socialism and a political ignorance or even a limitless tolerance carries the penalty of suffering and injustices for generations.

 

 

Filed under: General, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

Blog Categories

Follow God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE on WordPress.com

You can share this blog in many ways..

Bookmark and Share

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,135 other subscribers

Translation – Deutsch? Française? Espanol? …

The translation button is located on each single blog page, Copy the text, click the button and paste it for instant translation:
Website Translation Widget

or for the translation of the front page:

* Click for Translation

Copyright

© Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and HIV, AIDS and HOPE.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and HIV, AIDS and HOPE with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

This not withstanding the following applies:
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

%d bloggers like this: