"Brick by Brick." Berlin, Part 2 (reading time 1:13)

Walking through life is the only way to travel…if you really want to see anything.

Mike and I were visiting neighborhoods to get the vibe for our possible project; a business as mission model; a familiar term for new indigenous-honoring ways to introduce the heart of the Bible through living, working and serving the communities in which people live. A softer way to say, “Well, I guess the colonization, proselytizing and Crusades methods of the past might not have been the most God-like approach.”

We were getting the distinctive feel of the culture embodied in the many “districts” of Berlin (100, specifically). Like:

• No eye contact in most;
• No color in the local’s clothing in most;
• Lush green-ways and lakes in the west;
• Sparse greenery in the east;
• Architectural warmth, character and charm in the west;
• Stark, cold and regimented architecture in the east;
• Graffiti everywhere;
• Clashes of old and new everywhere;
• Suppressed images and monuments to the lingering aches of the past;
• Expressed images and art to the effervescing promise of the future.

And then, there are the bricks. Mike had just brought us to an intersection not far from the Brandenburg Gate; an historical gateway, now home to the U.S. Embassy and pulsating with tourists, posh hotels and commerce. Four pieces of the Berlin Wall still remained, one of the scattered monuments to this dark period of (in)humanity.

The side on which we were standing was, at that time, the open space between the East and West walls, known as “The Dead Zone”; accurately named for the lives of all those who died trying to escape to freedom. Humbling.

Before moving on, Mike pointed to a set of brick pavers, two parallel rows, that seemed to meander haphazardly in each direction and out of sight. “This is all that remains of the wall, and it circles the entire city to mark its historical perimeter.” He paused, “The German people do not want to forget where or what it was, but want to lose the pain of its physical presence.” Sobering.

Reflecting on the moment while we crossed the street heading towards our car, Mike suddenly stopped me. “Before I forget, look down around your feet and tell me what you see.”

All I noticed was some errant scraps of paper and trash on the sidewalk. Noticing my puzzled expression, he continued, “Look closer and see if you notice anything out of place.” Even before he finished the sentence a metallic gleam caught the periphery of my vision. It was a set of 5 gold squares. Looking closer I noticed engravings with names and dates; “Those are names of the Jewish victims who died in camps or were killed on this site. You’ll now begin to notice them scattered throughout the city.”

Haunting.

We have built walls of hatred, ignorance, fear and tyranny throughout history. We tear them down. We build them. We tear them down….

Walking and learning, brick by brick.

For emphasis.

(b)