A Tale of Two Times
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, …” -A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
An old school friend helped Eddie get out of the camp. Jaku volunteered to work for the Germans for life in a tool factory. As part of their deal, they allowed his father to pick him up from Buchenwald. On this day his father went straight to the border where they found a smuggler to help them enter Belgium. He was separated from his father. They were reunited in Belgium after his father was captured, beaten and managed to escape the train that was taking him to prison. Eddie's mother never showed up at the meeting place in Belgium, she was captured in Leipzig and was in a prison camp for 3 months, until she negotiated her freedom. After being free for only 2 weeks Eddie was arrested by Belgium police, this time for being German. He was then taken to a refugee camp where Hitler's enemies resided. Those among them were socialists, communists, disabled, other Germans, and homosexuals. This camp was civilized in comparison to Buchenwald. Eddie petitioned the Belgian government for release, promising to improve his French and teach students engineering.
He was a witness to many horrific things while there. People getting shot while using the bathroom, guards opening fire on crowds randomly, and gas chambers. He was the recipient of more violence, pain, starvation, freezing temperatures, burying the frozen bodies each morning, and burying anyone who was shot that day. He asked what was in the coffee once and was informed that Bromide was being added to chemically castrate all of them. He stopped drinking it, and was able to have children later in life.
“Your efforts today will affect people you will never know. It is your choice whether that effect is positive or negative. You can choose every day, every minute, to act in a way that may uplift a stranger, or else drag them down. The choice is easy. And it is yours to make.”
“If enough people had stood up then, on Kristallnacht, and said, ‘Enough! What are you doing? What is wrong with you?’ then the course of history would have been different. But they did not. They were scared. They were weak. And their weakness allowed them to be manipulated into hatred.”
“I never lost sight of what it was to be civilized. I knew that there would be no point surviving if I had to become an evil man to do it.”
What happened to teaching morals, true stories, real factual history? Instead we are taught that all that matters is what's inside of us, our feelings our emotions. Yes, that is important I agree, it's a big part of us, but not the only thing that matters. What we represent matters, morals matter, choices matter, perspective matters, TRUTH MATTERS! I'm not against teaching kids to accept their emotions and try to control them, get a handle on them, and be a well adjusted person. We aren't doing that though. Too many are teaching their kids that there is no accountability, choices don't matter, there are no consequences, you can get away with being a bully, you can change anything you want, you can even play God, there are no limits etc. These kids will take a significant part in our future.
Charles Dickens used the back drop of a pre-French Revolution to tell an epic tale of love, sacrifice, and redemption. As with all of Dickens' writings, he is teaching profound morals that center around a person's ability to change and society's ability to be resurrected (made new and whole again). This is a story about how society falls into chaos, becomes institutionalized, and human life is so cheap that killing comes with ease and without emotion. This story is about how things are not always what they appear to be.......someone who we see as bad, may actually be good and someone we perceive as good may not be so good.
In this story Dickens focuses on the value of human life, as one character sacrifices his life for another. Dickens always does this so well!! He is a master at teaching the value of every human life. His heroes and heroines are always the type that we may assume to be bad, or be from a bad place, but in the end their character separates them from circumstance, class, family, sin, or what some believe to be sin. Many characters in his books are met with profound change at some point. The hero or heroine is challenged to change due to a benefactor of sorts. Main characters are met with another hero, someone willing to lift them out of their horror. Someone willing to sacrifice life, great desires, or fortune for them. His works of genius are filled with acts of kindness and in many cases kindness comes from the most unlikely of places. These things create a domino effect that leads to a man or woman becoming something far more than they ever imagined.
Dickens' stories are full of inspirational kindness, good gestures, good will, effective change and much joy. These good things are always set within an environment of what is the very opposite. Another thing that Dickens is so good at, is pulling the very worst of society, the worst of people, the cruelest, most violent, demeaning part of society out of the gutters and puts it right in front of us. It is truly undeniable! Knowing that he first was an activist and journalist, and second a novelist, this makes sense. Each of his works was a petition to the government and the people to see the awful realities and to challenge them to change their way of thinking. With every work of his fiction comes the very real, hard, harrowing truths about humanity, governments, and institutions with all of their flaws, truthful, clear, and transparent. His books are like taking a time machine back to his time; they are a mirror image of the true picture that was. His works may also act as a mirror for our time in many ways, but only those who read it, see it. I'm going to take you to another time for a moment.
"It was the best of times.....it was the age of wisdom.....it was the epoch of belief........" according to
Eddie Jaku prior to 1933. He was a proud German. "Always a German first and second, and then Jewish........being Jewish was a religion and not as important as being good citizens of our Leipzig." His family had a wonderful life with many members, friends, and country. He was a highly educated man, going places, doing good and contributing to his great country. He was proud to contribute to the great Germany!
In a few short years, before he knew it, ".......It was the worst of times......it was the age of foolishness.....it was the epoch of incredulity......." He could not understand what had happened to his friends, his neighbors, his country. After his family vanished, he thought they went into hiding. He returned to the family house only to be met with hate, a hate he never knew or expected before. On the dreadful night of Kristallnacht, he was beaten almost to death, forced to watch his dog die and the destruction of his family's 200 year old home. That night he lost his freedom, his dignity, and everything he lived for. He was taken to Buchenwald concentration camp. Upon arriving he was taken to a hospital to maybe die, maybe heal, he did not know. He was not expected to live, but if the Nazis had any control, you would die when they say you could die! Buchenwald was the biggest camp in Germany, named for the beach forest it was next to. It later became the singing forest for the screams that rung out from the prisoners as they were tortured.
In Eddie's words Germans were a people of good citizens, rule of law was so important. You could get fined 200 marks for littering. Littering was such an inconvenience. Now, as it seemed, overnight, it was acceptable to beat your fellow citizen? Eddie slept through the morning wake up, roll call, and was whipped. He was hit with a rubber baton once because his shirt was untucked. At Buchenwald the guards would let 200-300 prisoners go, open the gates and when they reached 40 meters the machine guns opened fire, killing them all. Their bodies were sent home with a letter explaining that they died while trying to escape. This is how they solved their overpopulation problem......."they made a religion of logic and it turned them into murderers."
When the Germans invaded and it was no longer safe in Belgium, Eddie made his way to southern France where he was arrested again. This time he spent 7 months in Gurs camp. France traded the German Jews for the French prisoners. He, along with other Jewish refugees were going to Auschwitz. During this transfer, Jaku and a few others made a very clever, very dangerous escape from the train. He went back to Belgium, found his family where he lived with them for a time, it was a happy time, it was a very dangerous time in hiding. They survived only by the kindness of strangers. They returned this kindness by taking in 2 orphaned Jews, who miraculously were never captured. Eddie was reunited with them later in his life. He said, "they lived very happy lives all because of my father and mother." It was not too long before they were denounced. Looking back on his life Eddie claimed, "this was the best time of my life....in that attic.....I had everything I'd dreamed of."
The life that was barely life at all came back for them. Auschwitz was to be their fate.....a death camp. "Hell on earth....a nightmare". He lost more dignity, more respect, and faced more hate, if you can believe that. Human life now equated to a number, a tattoo, and you would be and do whatever they decided for you. Slavery was your lot in life, a life many wished and hoped to escape through death. You would be subject to their sick games to eradicate the earth of the Jewish race/religion.
Dr. Mengele performed his infamous selection. Eddie was put in one line, while his father was put into
another. He followed his father anyway, into a bus. The guards directed him back to the other line. That was the last time he ever saw his father. When he inquired about his parents a few days later, he was informed that they died in the gas chamber. Eddie was an orphan, but he had Kurt, a friend that was with him in Buchenwald, Belgium, and now Auschwitz.
His friendship with Kurt was what saved his life. Because of Kurt he knew someone existed that cared about him and loved him. There were many days he wanted to die....he wanted to "go to the wire" the electric fence that surrounded the camp. It was certain death, Eddie lost 2 friends to the wire. Kurt would not allow him to go to it. "The greatest thing you'll ever do is be loved by another person........A friend is someone who reminds you to feel alive.........I survived because I owed it to my friend Kurt to survive, to live another day so I might see him again.......One good friend means the world takes on a new meaning, one good friend can be your entire world."
While in Auschwitz he was lead to the gas chamber 3 times, but saved all three times by his education in engineering and ability to make tools. While in the prison camp Eddie picked up old metal and broken tools and made knives, rings and tools for trade. He traded for food, clothes, rags, and soap. He traded with prisoners or other civilians he worked with.
He was sent to work in a factory where he was the sole person to monitor 200 machines at Bayer the medical company. He wore a sign around his neck that said, "if one machine stops, you hang me." This job was impossible for one person to manage. He made a whistle for every employee and if something needed his attention he would go to the whistler. His life was saved by his ingenuity and the teamwork of the rest of the workers.
He managed to escape Auschwitz with the help of a German civilian worker. Eventually, he was met with a bullet in his calf, shot by another hate filled person. He had to make a choice, die in the forest, or go back to the camp and hope he could get through it. He knew another man at the camp that was a doctor. After miraculously sneaking back into camp he sought out the doctor who agreed to meet him in the bathroom of a certain block, the only one with a door, and he helped him. The bullet was dug out and bandages changed every time they met in block 16.
When the Germans became afraid of the Russians invading, they did not just dissolve the camp and release the survivors, no, in a last ditch effort to kill them all, they sent them on a death march out of Auschwitz, three days and three nights of walking with no food or water. Temperatures dropped to -20 degrees. The Nazis were moving the survivors to camps deeper in Germany. After the march he was sent back to Buchenwald. Then later sent to a smaller camp on a specific job detail. When the Russians and Americans got closer these camps were evacuated. Prisoners were marched out of the camps again.
Eddie escaped for the final time. The war was over and the murderers were not able to kill all of their witnesses. Eddie was still in hiding........he hid in a cave for 2 months, surviving off snails and slugs. The creek water nearby was poisoned. As he got sicker and sicker he decided to run to the highway, it took him a full day. The American troops were there, he collapsed in front of them. He then spent 3 months in a hospital with a 35 percent chance to live. He lived, he was liberated, but for what? All of his family were dead and gone. He found family in his friend Kurt who had survived! Later he found his sister, she had survived! Eddie lived to 101 years old passing away in 2021.
Here is some wisdom from Eddie Jaku, The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor:
“Kindness is the greatest wealth of all. Small acts of kindness last longer than a lifetime. This lesson, that kindness and generosity and faith in your fellow man are more important than money, is the first and greatest lesson my father ever taught me. And in this way he will always be with us, and always live forever.”
“There are always miracles in the world, even when all seems hopeless. And when there are no miracles, you can make them happen. With a simple act of kindness, you can save another person from despair, and that might just save their life. And this is the greatest miracle of all.”
“Hate is the beginning of a disease, like cancer. It may kill your enemy, but it will destroy you in the process too.”
“My father used to say to me there is more pleasure in giving than in taking, that the important things in life - friends, family, kindness - are far more precious than money. A man is worth more than his bank account.”
“I never lost sight of what it was to be civilized. I knew that there would be no point surviving if I had to become an evil man to do it.”
“it was sometimes hard for the good Germans to make themselves known. They had to know that they could trust you. If they were caught helping a Jew, it would mean death for them too. The oppressors were just as afraid as the oppressed. This is fascism – a system that makes victims of everybody.”
“You see, your food is not enough. There is no medicine for your morals. If your morals are gone, you go.”
"I am still in awe of the human body and what it is capable of. I am a precision engineer, and I have spent years making the most complicated, intricate machinery, but I could not make a machine like the human body. It is the best machine ever made. It turns fuel into life, can repair itself, can do anything you need it to. That is why today it breaks my heart to see the way some people treat their bodies, ruining this wonderful machine we are all gifted by smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, poisoning themselves with drugs. They are demolishing the best machine ever put onto this Earth, and it is such a terrible waste."
"In my mind, this is really the best revenge, and it is the only revenge I am interested in – to be the happiest man on Earth."
"If you are not free in your heart, don’t take away your children’s freedom. I always tell my children, ‘I brought you into this world because I wanted to love you. You owe me nothing but that. All I need from you is your affection and respect.’ This is what I’m proud of – my family is my achievement."
"I lived in a free country and that country became my prison."
I'm somewhat ashamed to say that this is only the surface of Jaku's story. I know that I could never do it justice. You must read his whole story. It is one of the most amazing stories I've ever read! His story might just change your life! What's important is not just Eddie's story, but also Germany's story.
Only those who pay attention and read it will see how this story parellels our day.
This Indepenence Day, it would be my hope that we all ask ourselves "Who are we?" "who are we becoming? Where are we going?" I've been noticing a trend, a disturbing one. As inflation continues to rise, we too are being so inflated with distraction, consumerism, fear, ego, worship of false gods, and division that the actual value of human life is being deflated. Take any subject and my country will be divided. The divisive bait is shoved down our throats on a daily basis through social media, news, politics, even the weather is not a safe topic.
The holocaust began with division and propaganda. The Jews were blamed for everything wrong in Germany. They were made out to be the enemy. Hitler spread these lies to the neighboring countries. Some thought Hitler was just looking out for them, but ultimately the plan was for Germany to overtake them. It didn't take long for the enemy to include more than the Jewish people. Soon, it was the disabled, political dissenters, elderly, homosexuals, and anyone who sympathized with these groups. The threat was there to anyone who would not fall in line........complete totalitarianism.
Our society is not free because we are being taught to hate and fear, we are being manipulated. We've lost sight of our most wonderful achievement, our families. When Eddie said that his most wonderful achievement was his family I was so touched. It inspired me to write the following.
My heart breaks often seeing all of the broken families around me, and the lost children. What is up with so many parents? I might be going off on a bit of a rant here, but seriously??? Everyday I see kids who have such terrible behavior, disrespect, and the foulest of language. Parents are not setting standards or boundaries for their kids. This really makes me lose my mind! Where I'm about to take you might seem like an out of place twist......but I'm going there anyway.
The mental illness and suicide rates among kids is sickening to me and so many parents write it off as
something they can't change, something they were born with, or something that happened to them, but the parents won't recognize that what happened to their child is sometimes due to them causing harm or failing to protect their children. Then we just put them on drugs and therapy. I get that there are legitimate situations where therapy and drugs are necessary, but does anyone care about the cause? When will we stop? I'm honing in on these situations because this is what I've been seeing so much of the past few years. When are we going to stand up for our families and take charge of them again!?! If you're getting mad at me right now, just know I'm not saying this as a blanket statement and I'm aware this is not everyone!
Inside Out 2 is the most popular movie in the country right now. Why? Because it's so relatable! Okay I get it, this movie has something for everyone, (Oh I'm seeing a SAR-CHASM in the distance)..........how heartwarming. Could it be that we are such a backwards society that a young girl going through puberty, having a panic attack, being controlled only by emotion is the best story line told in entertainment today? Could it be, that for several years now we've been taught to believe that our emotions are the most important thing and our feelings are above the truth, and above reality, and that anything different from this creates panic, thus PANIC is the most relatable thing in society? Or is it that Disney has only produced utter garbage for the past 6 years that when they finally make a mediocre sequel (that is the exact same plot as the first movie), that isn't riddled with wokeness we shout hooray and accept it as a win? I'm so glad all of the adults find this movie comforting...........I'm thinking of the little kid who kind of gets what is going on in the movie, becoming terrified of puberty while watching and thinking, "are panic attacks normal, does it happen to everyone, is it going to happen to me?" This movie was made for kids and marketed to kids, kids that have not yet reached puberty. It wouldn't surprise me if some parents use this movie as their kids' first introduction to the subject so they don't have to talk about it.
I'm not going to tell anyone how to raise their kids, but I've been observing this for years now. I'll admit I'm not the perfect parent. I even went down the peaceful parenting style rabbit hole to find yet another heaping pile of trash that our generation has come up with! I won't throw all of it under the bus because there are some valuable things there, but much of it is an excuse for parents to be lazy while still feeling good about themselves. When an issue arises they can blame some other kid, teacher, or parent. I'm just saying.....the children are NOT BENEFITING........and neither is society, or the future. There will be no benefit unless we pull up our big people pants and get a clue! You can still parent peacefully by being intuitive, wise, and patient, but ultimately you must still be an authority figure and example. A good relationship with your kid must be a priority.
Let me give you a quick example of what I'm talking about. A kid starts throwing gravel at the cars in the parking lot at the park and you approach him/her to tell them to stop because damage is being done. The parent comes over and starts yelling at you for talking to their kid. They claim that you must only talk to them, the parent , and not the kid. So, while their kid is potentially destroying cars their parent would rather have you go find them, not knowing who you are to begin with and just let the destruction continue. Nothing is ever mentioned to the kid about destroying property, they don't get in trouble, the parent doesn't even tell them to stop. They are too busy yelling at you for having the audacity to speak to their kid.
We are breeding a society of narcissists. In my study of Criminal Justice one thing I learned was that not all narcissists are hardened criminals, but most hardened criminals are narcissists, that is just a fact. I would venture a guess that most of the Nazis were narcissists. Kids nowadays get so scared and upset if anyone corrects them or critcizes their behavior, and it doesn't matter how nice and non threatening you are about it. However, when they are being a bully they are never scared or threatened. As soon as you call them out they cannot handle conversing with another adult that's not their parent. They are being taught that no one has the right to criticize or correct them , and sometimes the parents are worse than the kids. This whole idea is so foreign to me. When I was a kid, we expected that someone, anyone would call us out if we were going to behave badly.
As you can see, I'm no Charles Dickens. I realize you've had to bear the cold, hard, direct truth in a much less creative, less eloquent, and simplistic manner! As much as I'd like to write like Charles Dickens, I have not yet attempted writing a novel. There's no way I would get anywhere near Charles Dickens. If you stayed with me this far, thank you, this was probably not the tangent you expected. Now I must say, Please go read Holocaust stories. Please read Eddie Jaku's entire story! Read truth, read Charles Dickens, teach morality, PLEASE!
So, happy 4th of July! Go celebrate freedom! Keep telling your kids it's about the hot dogs, hamburgers, and fireworks! We are free! We are Free! Let freedom ring......or is it the chains of bondage still ringing. Freedom will always be locked up as long as we are divided, as long as we hate, as long as we don't recognize reality, as long as we lose sight of our precious families!
Charles Dickens was really good at another thing, Eddie Jaku was good at this also......telling a story of hope and keeping that hope alive no matter how bad things were. Not to worry.......I still have hope and you should too! There are many reasons to have hope! There are many good things happening! As Eddie says, "why not try hope? It costs you nothing.......where there is hope there is life and where there is life there is hope."
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