SHARE and INSPIRE
Post from Veronika Haase for the contest “Win a holiday in Italy”
For sure most of you would agree with the following two statements:
- „history“ means dates or events that took place or persons who acted in the past
- „history“ was made, created or written by humans
For me, history means more than that:
It is neither more nor less than the unification of the PAST, the PRESENT and the FUTURE of humanity.
It is not only about what happened in the past, but also what happens now and what could happen in the future. The way we deal with our past (with good and bad events) – now and in the future – is a big part of who we are, who we want to be or who we want to become.
For me, history in the described sense means the possiblity to create your own identity, your culture and your entire environment.
IT IS TIME TO WRITE YOUR OWN HISTORY!
An example how fascinating history can be: The Fall of the Wall - History now and then
1989 The Fall of the Berlin Wall
On the 9th of November 1989 the final act of the so called „peaceful revolution“ took place: the Border which separated East from West Germany was opened. Worldwide this event became a symbol for freedom. As a step towards the end of the cold war and the unification of Europe as well it was not only a memorable event for one single nation but also for the entire humanity.
2009 Commemorativ year
In 2009 the city of Berlin gave an awesome example how creative and fascinating it
can be to face history in its three temporal dimensions: remember the past, create the present and develop ideas and concepts for the future.
In addition to a big open-air exhibition with information boards, lectures, concerts etc. the anniversary itself was celebrated by a symbolic act:
For this event 15.000 young people from all over the world designed 1000 dominos which were lined up in a 1,5 kilometre long row that divided the city one more time. Finally 250.000 people attended the fall of this second wall, which symbolized the event in 1989 and also its broad effect (the domino effect of history).
And the message for the future? Let’s tear down the walls – no matter if they are made out of stone or only exist in your mind.
The fall of the second wall
