Healing the Wounds of History
The Berlin Wall was a military controlled concrete barrier that divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. While most walls throughout history were built to prevent unwanted incursions from the outside, this Wall imprisoned innocent citizens inside. Just like a prison wall constructed to prevent the escape of those incarcerated.
The barricade was built by the communist government of East Germany to prevent its citizens from fleeing to the democratic West. The fall of this wall occurred on November 9, 1989, when the East German government announced that its people could finally cross the border freely. That night, thousands of both East and West Berliners gathered at the wall and began to tear it down with hammers, chisels, and their bare hands. The fall symbolized the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the reunification of Germany.
This had a profound impact on people around the world. The wall had stood as a symbol of the division and oppression caused by the Cold War and communism. Its fall represented the triumph of freedom, democracy, and human rights over tyranny, dictatorship, and ideology.
Countless citizens of the world saw the fall of the wall as a sign of hope and optimism for the future. Inspired by the courage and determination of the East Germans who peacefully protested and demanded change, they celebrated with joy and excitement as they witnessed the liberation of millions of people from communist rule.
After the Berlin Wall was taken down, checkpoints were abandoned and a sense of hope and excitement filled the air. The event demonstrated that people-power can overcome authoritarian regimes – and that walls of oppression can be torn down by peaceful means.
The fall of the wall has had a lasting effect on the global political landscape. It encouraged other movements for democracy and human rights in different parts of the world – including Eastern Europe, South Africa, Latin America, and Asia. It challenged the existing world order and opened up new possibilities for cooperation and integration among nations.
In Adam in Taoland, our hero is born into Novana, a land surrounded by the Great Barrier – a wall constructed by AI to keep all humans captive inside, under the guise of preventing invasion by hostile forces from elsewhere on the planet of Talus. In Homeland Rescued, mimicking Ronald Reagan from millenia earlier, Adam instigates the fall of that wall and enables the liberation of all Novanians.
To this day, the fall of any ‘wall’ created to keep people divided inspires confidence against totalitarian rule. It reminds us that freedom is not a given, but a precious value that needs to be defended and promoted. It teaches us that change is possible, even in the most difficult circumstances, and that people can make a difference if they stand up for their rights and dignity. The fall of any unnecessary wall is a symbol of hope, courage, and resilience that transcends time and borders.
Let us all, in our private lives, tear down ‘walls’ we have created separating ourselves from others – and in a sense imprisoning ourselves to fear, mistrust, and even hatred. Let liberation begin with ourselves. As John F. Kennedy once said: “When one man is enslaved (even behind a ‘wall’ self-created), all are not free.” Let us pray for that day when all will be liberated to enjoy the blessings bestowed upon them from above.
