Apathy of the People

AJ’s CORNER

APATHY OF THE PEOPLE

                   In my chance encounters with various life situations, many questions, problems and confusions sometimes surround me and possibly you.  In trying to understand and make determinations as to what should or should not be done, in addition to asking for divine guidance, many interesting, and yes, positive individuals come to mind; individuals who had similar challenges. 

            One of these men is Martin Niemoller.  Some of you may have heard of him…yes/no?

            Herr Niemoller was a German Protestant pastor in the days of Nazi Germany.  Initially he support Hitler’s rise to power because, like Hitler, Niemoller was an anti-communist.  But as Hitler’s position became more prominent and as Hitler gained power, the Chancellor, Herr Hitler,  insisted on the supremacy of the state with, of course,  him being “Gott”.  When the Godlike image and the supremacy of a “Nazified religious” state took over Germany, Niemoller resisted.  Of course, the end result for Niemoller was the concentration camps; which, by the way, he survived.   

            But after World War II, he became an apologist for the German people and the German state.  He gave many speeches and was genuinely concern about the horrors of Nazi Germany.  But it is his words, although there are many different versions that strike at the heart of the problem, words we all understand.  The words are something like this:

                        First they came for the communists,

                        And I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist

                        Then they came for the socialists,

                        And I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist

                        Then they came for the trade unionists

                        And I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist

                        Then they came for the Jews,

                        And I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew

                        Then they came for the Catholics,

                        And I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Catholic

                        Then they came for me,

                        And there was no one left to speak for me

            Somewhat powerful words, yes/no?   

            So where does this place all of us with the problems of government today.

 You may say that it is the government’s problems, but YOU and I are the government. 

The fanciful political leaders holding office at all levels of government are supposed to be working for us.  But nowadays, the process of government seems to be in reverse.  The United States is a republic, meaning the people are sovereign, at all levels of government; national, state, and local.  The politicos are hired by us.  But when government comes for you, as apparently, government has---journalists, tax payers, political groups, ministers, and who knows exactly whom---where are we, who will be left to speak for YOU and ME?

LATER

AJ