Learn from the Germans

Any time I read or watch a movie about WWII, even though we traditionally think of the Germans as the enemy, I can't help but think that that isn't quite right.  I view the Germans as the first victims of Hitler and Nazism.

Yes, those who joined underground resistances, sneaked people out of the country, and hid Jews in attics and basements are true heroes.  But what of the others, the silent majority?  Do we really have the right to throw stones at them from the safety and comfort of the future, after the fighting was over?

Recall the scene.  Hitler had come to power.  Teachers who spoke against him disappeared while children were encouraged, mandated, to join the Hitler Youth, where they were indoctrinated in the belief that there first duty was to the Fuehrer.  Thinking they were doing the right thing, these children listened to their parents' conversations, and reported anti-Hitler sentiment to their youth leaders.  Any German who spoke against the government could expect to be arrested and killed.  How many of us can say with any certainty that we would risk leaving our children orphaned in wartime so we could speak out?  If drafted, would we really run away to certain death?  If assigned to work at the concentration camps, who would speak out, condemning our own family to death?  When I was younger, I was sure that I would be one of the heroes.  But as a parent and a grandparent, I don't know that I would want to stand out in a regime that had no problem punishing the children for the sins of the parents.

We can see the 1930's clearly from 2017.  If the German people had spoken out together against Hitler, had they loudly requested alliances with their neighbors, had they found strength in numbers to openly resist the Nazis, history would have been different.

I sometimes feel like I'm being paranoid when I worry that we are rushing towards World War III.  Then I read headlines from every source imaginable, written by people who share my fear.

Doomsday Clock Closer to Midnight Than at Any Time Since 1953

Immigration Ban Stuns and Angers the World

Ex-Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev: ‘World Is Preparing for War’

Let's learn from the Germans.  Let's not sit back and wait until madness overtakes us.  Let's stay cool but firm and organized.  Please post ideas.  What can we do now?  What can I, as a private citizen, do to help reverse the course we are on?  Please share this post, and PLEASE, PLEASE respond.