Berlin. Fall of the 'wall of shame'.

World leaders gathered to celebrate with the Germans the fall of Berlin wall on the 9th Nov 2009. Thousands were the numbers that watched on television the event, so were the hundreds who gathered to witness the memorable event. This was in remembrance of the fall of the wall (so called wall of shame) that separated the East from the West Germany during the cold war. The event united those who were actively involved in bringing down the wall to those who were opposed; those who had never closed the wall into Berlin to those who lived in Berlin; those who lived the experience to those who read in history. The only missing part was that many who played vital roles in bringing down the wall and who never lived long enough to savor the sweetness of the liberty they fought for especially John Paul II and solidarity labor movement, who was nevertheless given a glowing tribute by US secretary of state, Hilary Clinton and Lech Walesa, Nobel peace prize winner, for unifying Europe in freedom.
The separation of the two German states started in August 1961 and lasted until 9th Nov 1989 when President Mikhail Gorbachev led the re-union of Germany. The wall was the culmination of the state of atheism that fostered ideologies that were inimical to God and the human person. The celebrations on Monday marked 20years since the fall and reminded the people of the role Christianity has played in shaping the culture and civilization of Europe. The question that came to mind as I watched the staged domino -fall -of- the –wall is what would all the people who fought for re-unification of Germany say to the leaders of the 21st century were they to rise again? Did the fall of the wall mean anything to anyone in the world? Was the liberty so desired realized?
Reading some of the newspapers the next morning some of my possible fears were somehow confirmed. I posed a question, ‘was the falling of the wall a true revolution’? Who benefitted from the fall of the wall? One article said in Italy “il muro e il sogno di Un’era liberale che ancora non e` cominciata. (The wall and the dream of a free era that is not yet started’).The world continues to witness walls some physical, economical or social as if the Berlin wall was not enough lesson: a physical wall separates the Jews from Palestinians in Holy land even after the holy Father asked for its destruction; many nations are subdivided in North and south or East and West in terms of development; there is still the division of the first and third world countries; and there are still millions who cannot access the world resources due to various forms of walls that have condemned them. The only conclusion plausible from this kind of walls is that mankind has not made a flea-hop-step from being a Neanderthal.