Food For Thought: After The Fall of the Communist System

In response to my article on Monday, Dec 19 2011, I received a reply from a distinguished gentleman from Denmark, now residing and working in Cyprus, that I would like to share. The following is the reply in its entirety, unedited, other than to facilitate the sentence structures... Food for thought!Yes, that is all true what you write about Vaclav Havel. And I still have due to read his “Power of the Powerless.”BUT there is something strange about the whole thing, because everything Havel was standing up for during the times of his struggle somehow EVAPORATED INTO… NOTHING…I was first time in Czechoslovakia in 1967. I was medical student and supposed to study anatomy by dissection. Corpses where hard to come by in my home country Denmark but more easily available in Czechoslovakia. I did NOT study much because I crisscrossed the country hiking, totally fascinated to witness the harsh realities of this very Stalinist country. In West Europe most young people were socialist or even communists and I was at home  living as a lonely person  in my rejection of that. And NOW could witness that all I had been able to deduct about communist dictatorship was TRUE. But as I recall it also, very beautiful… and UNSPOILED by greedy materialism. I did not realize that then, but by now I KNOW such was the case.
The country side was like going back in time in my own country – yes materialwise there was a huge gap to what had been achieved in West Europe – but somehow it was beautiful. There were less things to be had in shops and of poorer quality, but what was available was often shared. People were either Opressed or Opressors and there was true solidarity. There was an enemy, there was danger, there were heros and villains… in short, LIFE had true qualities where the chaff was easily distinguishable from the Wheat.Prague was exceedingly BEAUTIFULL – a historic pearl – not out of intention but BECAUSE there was no money to build. And therefore everything was a bit falling apart... but unspoiled and genuine.I returned to the country next year, 1968, with all my family, because I wanted them to see WHAT was going on. And we had an unforgettable tour through Czechoslovakia, this time for my part a bit more affluent because my father footed the bill. We slipped out of the country in the night when the Russians overran the country with tanks. And the country went into Stalinist Rigor for the next 10 years. Since then my Mother kept a small mini Czech Flag on her desk.I returned to the now Czech Republic last year, 2010, for the first time and had 12 hours in Prague. The beauty of Prague had… disappeared. Mac Donalds and otherUgly symbols of Western – mainly US – materialism had inched their way into this Middle Age city and are now lying interspersed between ancient buildings. This UGLY AMERICAN BUY BUY BUY athmosphere now pervaded the air. Everything was MONEY. I do not have much desire to return! ...As there is little to see anymore.But what I mainly reflect upon is… WHERE did it go WRONG?I think I have some answers to that... not sure... but fairly accurat... I think.One should never blame others for shortcomings of one self, but as I see it, a HUGE DECEPTION out of the USA has all the time been ongoing. You can find some of the explanation in an article by Brezhinsky in Foreign Affairs some year after the Fallof the Communist System. (look it up ! It is truly Machiavellian.) And there may be a TRUTH in the Ayatollas description of the US as THE BIG SATAN. I, who have been so adamantly US friendly in my youth and for the majority of my life, say now, Where previous VEILS of DECEPTION have been lifted, for those who can see… and THINK.And what about Havel? Well in my opinion – and I am sad to say so – in my opinion, he let himself be BOUGHT OFF. What a shame. But may be that’s how life is.TRUE HEROS of TODAY in the WESTERN WORLD are persons like JULIAN ASSANGE. But look and witness how OUR WESTERN TOTALITARIAN CAPITALIST DICTATORS have CONTROL. The Soviets never succeeded that absolutely. And HOW such persons who are a Danger to the POWERS are SILENCED.It is despicable! And here Mr Havel – all his greatness apart –  and all similars have FAILED and BETRAYED what they once fought for. They let themselves be BOUGHT OFF. It was too pleasant with all the free goodies!It is IRONIC that RUSSIA, as of today, probably is a more FREE COUNTRY than can be said about the USA… don’t You think so? And that the SURVEILLANCE of CITICENS NOW is a US PHENOMENA rather than a Russian… I truly HOPE this will not end even WORSE for Your Country. But do NOT have big hopes. Surely there is a NEED for some HAVELS in the USA RIGHT NOW! But do they stand a chance? …Hmmmm!As I said, food for thought in these unsettles times. It is one view of what that unbridled capitalist greed without a conscience has been brought to us.If you liked this article please click the +1 button and let others know where to find our great content
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