I wrote recently about finding my voice in response to what has been occurring in the US in recent weeks; in particular the deleterious effect that the actions of President Trump and Elon Musk have had, and continue to have, on vulnerable people.
I am thankful to all who read the article and to those who shared it (quite a few!). Small voices are still voices. They all add up. More than that, somehow using our voices to speak out (or ‘share’ as is often the case in social media) also serves to heighten our awareness (as well as alter algorithms!). We ‘tune in’ to our own moral/ethical consciousness. In other words, we wake up!
Hasn’t that been a constant theme in human history? Wake up! It implies ignorance on the one hand and solidarity and even a sense of urgency on the other. Helping others to understand a problem may well be a moral duty.
Eighty-three years ago, a small group of university students in Munich, Germany ‘woke up’. Despite the mandated membership and indoctrination of the ‘Hitler Youth’ and ‘League of German Girls’, these young people began to realise that there was something seriously sinister and wrong with the Nazi Regime. Despite not being Jewish, they recognised their fellow humans as precisely that – human; deserving of the same respect and dignity due to us all by virtue of our shared humanity.
(Please note: I am not making any deliberate comparisons here between Nazi Germany and current-day in the United States. One can look to isolated incidences and occurrences and argue the similarities, but it is not reasonable nor helpful to draw hard and fast conclusions.)
For their part, siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl and their friend, Christoph Probst were executed by guillotine on February 22, 1943 at Stadelheim Prison. Their crime: creating and distributing anti-Nazi propaganda.
Sophie Scholl, who was only 21 years of age when executed, is probably best known of the three. Perhaps this is because when the Nazi interrogator thought that Sophie was perhaps innocent of the charges, she refused the opportunity to effectively denounce her brother and friend and, instead, chose to stand with them in their final moments.
Sophie has been recognised by Germany as one of its heroes; the fifth woman to be honoured with a bust in the Walhalla Memorial.
In total, the group disseminated six leaflets. A seventh – written by Christoph – was in draft at the time of their arrests.
Their organisation was called ‘The White Rose’ movement. The White Rose symbolized purity and innocence in the face of evil. It may be news to some and well known to others, but pure and innocent I am not! It’s not about that; it speaks to us of their engagement philosophy of passive resistance.
Why is this important? Politics can be pugilistic; insults fly, reputations are damaged intentionally – all for the sake of point scoring and ascendency. We tend to tolerate these kinds of exchanges in politics much more than we ever would if were about us.
Using our voices – our small voices – has to be about truth-telling. It has to say: WAKE UP – just as Sophie, Hans and Christoph did. The intention has to be to unify, not divide.
Sure, there may be some sort of blow-back from keyboard warriors, but none of us will likely ever have to confront the ultimate sacrifice as did those three-brave youth.
The reason we remember dead heroes and martyrs is that they continually encourage us by their example to be our better selves; to desire something of their strength of character and their commitment. There are living heroes in this space right now, too. Follow them, learn from them.
It’s hard to tell some 80 years later how effective The White Rose Movement truly was in turning the tide against the Nazi regime. That we remember them is, itself, significant. But success is never guaranteed. All we can say, in truth, is that the world would be the lesser had they not spoken out.
Here’s what Sophie said when questioned during her trial:
“Finally, someone has to make a start. We only said and wrote what many people think. They just don’t dare to express it.”
Make a start.
NB: There’s a terrific documentary on Sophie Scholl’s last days on Youtube HERE
Paul Russell: Musings 