Re: "Ukraine's battle on front line of democracy our battle, too," and "We must tend democracy so as not to let apathy take hold," Opinion, The Gazette, March 2.
In the commentary section we could read the following question: “What have you done to get involved, to strengthen and uphold our democracy?”
I was born in the early 1960s in Germany and lived there for the first three decades of my life. As a teenager and young adolescent, I often asked myself, my parents, and grandparents a similar question: “Why didn’t the ordinary German people get involved and say or do something during that horrible time 25 years before I was born?”
The answer was always the same, “We didn’t know.”
How could they have known?
There were no computers, no television, not even telephones among the general population. Some lucky people had a radio, however they were only allowed to listen to one specific (propaganda) channel.
During the last 18 months or so, I was often reminded of what I was told about how everything started about 85 years ago.
The government singled out a specific group of German citizens, calling them all kinds of names. They were accused of not contributing to the common good and prohibited to participate in many aspects of daily life. The leaders of the country called them a danger to society, implemented new laws, and many of these people lost their jobs. Their belongings were taken away and their bank accounts frozen. This group of citizens was blamed for the present economic crisis. The state encouraged neighbours, friends, even family members to report these “dangerous” people to government agencies.
Yes, some people protested against all these measures, some who knew more than others, who were searching for the truth, who had the courage to look at things a different way. Sadly, most of them endured the same fate as the people they stood up for.
To witness similar happenings in our democratic country right now creates a great amount of fear in me. Did we really need to implement the Emergencies Act to break up peaceful demonstrations? Was that the only way to resolve that conflict? What happened to trying to resolve conflicts through communication, peace talks?
In our modern world, we are lucky to be able to see multiple sides of any story and event. It can be overwhelming to sift through that information to decide what we should believe. However, isn’t it one of our duties as citizens? Don’t we owe it to our kids and grandkids to search for the truth?
Many Russian civilians were and are still searching for the truth as well. They don’t just watch the government-sponsored media or listen exclusively to their president who calls the war a "special military operation." I applaud these courageous Russians who are protesting for peace and freedom despite the threat of lengthy imprisonment.
Past and present events have taught us to be critical thinkers, and to question and protest against decisions and actions of political leaders. I am grateful to all these people who get involved, voice their opinion, drive their trucks, and walk the streets for Canada’s freedom and democracy.
Hopefully, some time in the future, our kids or grandkids don’t have to ask the question, “Why didn’t you get involved and say or do something?”
Renate Karl, St. Albert
