20 years ago today the Berlin Wall went down. Did that represent the start of an ending? Did that represent the start of a transition? It sure did. Have they been able to start a new beginning? Yes, most, but probably not all. Some people will never be able to end what has been. Look forward to a new beginning, appreciate the small chaos that will be in between. It is simply too scary. I know what I have, but I don’t know what I’ll get. That is what keeps most people where they are, unfortunately. Are you there? Well, if so, try something new: be courageous! it is not dangerous, perhaps somewhat uncomfortable. That is part of the problem; we’re so used to being comfortable all the time, anything deviating the slightest from that scares us.
In my book Unlock Your Future I write that the Terror Barrier is merely a border guard to new territory. The same can be said about transitions. The neutral zone, limbo phase, is merely the border guard to enter a new beginning, new territory. But you have to pass.
Most people in DDR wanted the wall to go down. Most people in the West wanted the wall to go down. Since it went so smoothly it was probably meant to be. That does not mean it did not turn out scary for a lot of people. Not everybody was used to the freedom this represented. Not everybody was used having to take care of themselves, not having the authorities thinking for them and taking care of most needs. Faced with that reality can really be scary. I know what I have. They were thrown into it because it happened anyway. November 9th 1989.
So to use an analogy from the Moses story abut getting the Israelites out of Egypt. The challenge was not so much getting the wall down and the people “out of DDR”, the challenge has more getting DDR out of the people. For some I suppose they are still working on it. 20 years later. For some people the neutral phase can be a long journey.
There is so much to celebrate these November days. November 9th the down fall of the Berlin Wall and ending of the cold war. November 10th is my birthday. November 11th marks the ending of World War 1. I enjoy the company.
