My take on Taking a Stand

I recently read a blog entry about “Making a Statement versus Taking a Stand” from the Cinnabar Story blog. 

The short entry describes what it takes for people to merely make a statement, and what it means, fundamentally, to take a stand.  Obviously, all opinions are those of the author, but I think it is worth clicking on the link and five minutes of your time.  I find myself re-reading and reflecting upon it every so often.    

The article describes that anyone can put up a bumper sticker or quote an author and make some statement with that.  But taking a stand requires a lot more: clarity, understanding, insight, information; in other words, work.  It goes on describing that taking a stand is an act of self-respect and trust, and an expression of love for oneself.  I thought that is an interesting perspective.

I have not thought of “taking a stand” being a reflection or an expression of self-respect or self-love.  Instead, I often think about a person taking a stand for a cause, for an organization or political party, or for an issue.  The article challenged me to think a level deeper.  If I “take a stand”, what personal connection does it make?  What reflects upon my actions when I “take a stand” for a cause, an organization, or an issue?

To meaningfully “take a stand” requires an investment of time and efforts.  To gain information, clarity and understanding of the stance itself.  It also requires actions that are beyond putting up a bumper sticker, quoting some famous authors, or the simple acts of following one rigid belief system without questioning its validity.   A belief system is always forced upon a person during the upbringing - by the society, its culture, or the “tribe”, and is often passed down expectedly as the “truth”, or the “natural ways things ought to be.”  Let me preface by clarifying that I do not think a belief system is a "bad" thing, but it is just that, a belief system.  Unless we were raised by wolves, we were ALL brought up under SOME system(s) that has/have rigid believes and rules.  (Even wolves have a natural order that the pack expectedly follows, although it is not a “belief” system.)  We involuntarily “belong” to some tribes, such as our family, the society within which we grew up.  Other tribes, we voluntarily join, such as our employment, friends, class, political and religious affiliations, social clubs and teams, etc. 

Each belief system differs, depending on the tribe, although some may overlap.  Each has far reaching tentacles covering various topics:  views on gods and death, moral values, friendship, sexuality, parental expectations, relationships, heroism, marriage assumptions, wealth, materialism, and not least of which, myths of all kinds. 

Since it takes time to learn and gain understanding on a subject, it goes without saying that our knowledge on that said subject should increase providing that we continue to explore and learn.  This increased knowledge may challenge - or support – our original belief system, and we must be nimble and willing to accept such possibility.  

So, if “Taking a Stand” on a subject requires "Gaining Understanding and Clarity" of the said subject, and “Gaining Understanding and Clarity” requires “Nimbleness and Willingness to alter our rigid belief system”, then “Taking a Stand” on a subject requires “Nimbleness and Willingness to alter our rigid belief system”!  (If A=B, and B=C, then A=C)   Let’s not overthink; I think it really is that simple. 

What does all this postulation have to do with ANYTHING!?   Everything, and nothing at all.   Nothing has any value unless you are able to relate it to your personal life.  So I link this “If A=B, B=C, then A=C” theory to my life.  I did a little reflection when I make statements, and when I actually take a stand.  I suddenly awake to the fact that I make statements all day long, all day strong, consciously and subconsciously:  the clothes I wear, the coffee I drink, where I get my groceries, the food I eat, the mode of transportation I take, the comments I make on Facebook.  Many of these statements are inevitable as they simply become a part of my life, and are manifested as such.

On the other hand, I can only readily think of one - ONE - stand I take, consciously and relentlessly, as an expression of love for myself above all else, of self-respect and trust.  And that is my love for nature, which largely impacts my many decisions but especially my conscious choice on food and food sources.  As I spend time and gain understanding on the topic, it continues to challenge my paradigm and my belief system.  No doubt I will discover a new horizon upon the old horizon.  It goes through exciting phases of discovery.  I think taking this one stand is all I can handle right now.

As for the hundreds of statements I subconsciously make everyday, I think I will approach them with an attitude and understanding that they are just that:  statements.  Don’t fool myself into giving them more than their face value:  A closetful of Patagonia jackets does not make me an environmentalist; a pair of Ugg boots over leggings does not make one a fashionista; a pair of faux Valentino sunglasses certainly does not make a celebrity sighting (although there were rumors that Kim Kardashian was strutting around the West Seattle Farmer’s Market…it was me...)  The point is, be self-aware of what those statements are, and are not.

Disclaimer:  The Cinnabar Story Blog is written by Eric, who happens to be my husband.  This is not a promotion for Eric’s blog, merely my self-reflection as a result of our open and honest discussions on many topics.  But, it is a damn good blog!

European Excursion - Part VI: Epilogue

The laundry is washed, dried, and folded.  The suitcase is packed away.  Photos are imported and organized.  Souvenirs - distributed.  

It felt like the European Excursion could have ended weeks ago.  I no longer wake up at 0530 automatically, although I am still feeling a bit hungry for some pierogi z mięsem… (pierogi with meat)  I think I will forever be hungry for just one more pierogi z mięsem.

The only thing left to do is to write the epilogue for my Central/Eastern European Excursion. 

# # #

Half way into my “excursion”, I noticed I have a restored sense of confidence and curiosity.  I came home curious like a two-year-old, and a greater desire and attitude to challenge the conventional “wisdom”.  Less afraid.  NOT “fearless”, but less afraid, less concerned.  It is an important difference so I must clarify.  This attitude, or the positive energy, allows for an expanded ability and capacity for new experiences.  It feels different - and more - than being “refreshed”, as most people would associate with say, a vacation.  

To be sure, I looked up the definition.  The dictionary defines “refresh” as “giving new strength or energy to; reinvigorate” as in “I awoke feeling calm and refreshed” or “the shower had refreshed me.”  The definition implies the added energy or strength could be temporary.  Not definitely, but possibly, temporary.  At some point, the “refresh-ness” could end and the old state of the pre-refreshed could return. 

As a result, I decided to forgo using the word “refreshed” because it is not how I feel.  At least I hope not.  Words are powerful, so expressing with the right words is important.

 

I feel the regeneration at a deeper, fundamental level.  It is a more acute sense of clarity and awareness about myself.  Everything begins with self-awareness.  Everything.  Without it, a person will not and cannot become aware of anything or anyone else:  Other people, his surrounding, and the world around him.  Calling my “situation” a transformation seems equally inappropriate, and frankly, a bit commercial and cliche.  A transformation is a state at which point the subject becomes something entirely different; a "thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance" according to the dictionary.  

  

I did not “transform” either.  I certainly did not go through a dramatic change in appearance.  To start, I still look hot…

I can think of one remote analogy of my “situation” but it is not exactly pretty.  Actually it is rather gross.  It is like Jeff Goldblum in the 1986 horror film The Fly, but without the gruesome details of the “Brundlefly” and its vomit enzyme…  I feel like my changes are occurring at a molecular level so the metamorphosis would take place permanently, not temporarily.  Somewhat like the housefly’s DNA taking over Goldbrum’s character Seth Brundle’s human DNA in the movie.  In time, the character started to exhibit fly-like characteristics, his latter and new state. 

My point here is that I am not a “new” or "transformed" person, because I have not “turned into” anything new or gruesome.  It is just, different.  Not a “better” person, just a person with better clarity and self-awareness.  My view on certain things has received different perspectives:  my surroundings, my place in the world, those with whom I come into contact, friends or strangers. 

I have shared this fundamental shift with a few and most concluded that I will end up doing something different for a living by the end of my sabbatical.  Notwithstanding the differences, I honestly do not think it needs to be so drastic.  And, the “what” is not the core issue.  The core issue is “how”.  I have begun to view and understand people and issues with a slight bit more clarity.  In time and practice, I will become better at it.   It is, after all, a behavior that can be learned and improved, but not without self-awareness, clarity, and hard work. 

May be it was Praha; may be it was me.  May be it was the pierogis. May be there is no need to label it, nor is there a requirement to identify the source.  

Is it possible that I am approaching a Tipping Point similar to how Malcom Gladwell examined and described as social epidemics:  Things can happen all at once, and little changes can make a huge difference.   

European Excursion - Photo Montage Part V: Auschwitz-Birkenau

I decided to devote the Auschwitz-Birkenau visit its own page because it was not a sightseeing trip like the others.  I selected a few photographs and excerpts from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Guide Book with an attempt to share with you the sights I witnessed, and the feelings they invoked.

With Google and Wikipedia and a plethora of online resources, you may search for information about the topic literally at your fingertips.  My intention of this blog entry is not to educate anyone about Auschwitz-Birkenau, or to sensationalize my visit.  The sole attempt of this entry is to translate what I visualized and felt to a written format, in the most respectful way I know how.  

I am including basic information about the Camp and the links for important references.  

The Auschwitz 1 Concentration Camp was part of the network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps.  It is located in Oświęcim, about 90 minutes by car from Krakow.  Oświęcim was part of the Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany between mid-1940 to 1945.  Initially the camp comprised of 20 buildings - 14 at ground level and 6 with an upper floor. During the period from 1941 to 1942, an extra story was added to all ground floor buildings, and 8 new blocks were constructed.  All labor force came from the camp prisoners, of course.  

While Auschwitz I was most associated with the concentration camp, Auschwitz II - Birkenau - located in the village of Brzezinka just 3km away, was where majority of killings occurred.  Auschwitz II Birkenau was constructed in 1942 with four crematoria, gas chambers, cremation pits and pyres, a special platform where deportees were selected, and a pond with human ashes.  

Remaining in both camps are well preserved blocks and a part of the prisoners' barracks, the main entrance gates to the camps, watch towers, as well as barbed wire fences.  Some of the constructions destroyed by the Nazis were rebuilt from the original elements; some were completely destroyed by the SS obliterating evidence of their crimes.  

In cases of special importance, constructions were reproduced by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Musuem, and placed in the same area as they were during the existence of the Auschwitz camp.  Above all these are the "Death Wall" and the collective gallows at the roll-call ground.  I did not, and would not, take pictures at the Death Wall; it became just a bit too much for me, although the link I provided gives a very good 360-view of the location.  

The Death Wall is located in the "Death Block", completely isolated from the rest of the camp.  The courtyard is enclosed on two sides by a high wall.  Thousands of prisoners were shot to death at the Wall, especially Poles.  On the ground floor was the Gestapo Police Court, which determined the verdict of prisoners.  Victims were always made to undress in one of two washrooms before the execution; some executions were actually just carried out in the washrooms.  


All prisoners were marked with different colored triangles, which were sewn onto their camp clothes along their inmate number:  red for political prisoners; yellow for Jews and another one for the corresponding reason of their arrest; black for Gypsies or those regarded as "antisocial"; violet for Jehovah Witnesses; pink for homosexuals; green for criminals. Inmate numbers were also tattooed on forearms. 

It rained lightly the day we visited the camps.  The temperature was in the low mid-to-high 50's, with wind gusting at an unknown speed.  If my memory serves me right, one can expect the normal temperature in Auschwitz to be 10 degrees fahrenheit (about 4 degrees celsius) lower than Krakow, due to its location and the openness of the lay of the land.  


It was a somber and reflective day, and an important one on my trip.  

Excerpt from Anne Frank's Diary on exhibit

Entrance to Auschwitz I Concentration Camp

"Arbeit macht frei" - "Work sets you free"

The sign was made by prisoners with metal work skills
and erected by order of the Nazis in June, 1940.  The slogan
is known for having been placed over the entrances to a number
of Nazi concentration camps, the most infamously one, Auschwitz.

The sign placed over the gate is a replica.  The original one
was stolen in December 2009 by a Swedish former neo-Nazi,
and later recoverd in three pieces.  The original sign
is now in the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.

There was a haunting feeling to pass under the cynical sign,
imagined hearing the camp orchestra played marches -
mustering the thousands of prisoners so that they could be
counted more efficiently by the SS.

Each row of barracks is called a block.
Some of the barracks are now national exhibitions,
portraying the history of the camp or tracing the
torments of the various nations whose citizens were murdered here.

Roll calls were taken daily at the roll-call ground - the small
overhead cover served as protection for the SS guard
in inclement weather.  If anyone was missing, the entire squad of
prisoners would stand outside until the escapee was found,
regardless of time, weather, or duration. 

Part of the barbed wire fences,
with high voltage electricity

One of several exhibitions shows mountains of
personal property confiscated from prisoners and
murdered victims:  shoes, suitcases, eye-glasses,
baby clothes, prayer shawls, kitchen and serve-wares,
and so on.
  

Most deportees arrived were convinced that they had been deported for "resettlement" in Eastern Europe, particularly Jews from Greece and Hungary were deceived and betrayed that the Nazis sold them non-existence plots of land, farms, shops, or offered them to work in fictitious factories.  For this reason, deportees always brought their most valuable possessions with them. 

All personal possessions brought to the camp were confiscated, sorted, stored, and transported to the Reich for use by the SS.  The labor was performed by prisoners, of course. The storage warehouses were constantly overflowing with plundered goods. Prisoners nicknamed the warehouses "Canada", as that was the land they associated with as the land of plenty.  

In addition to personal properties, 7 tons of human hair, packed tightly into bags, were found in the camp warehouses upon liberation.  These were the remains which the camp authorities had not yet managed to sell and send to factories inside the Reich.  Human hair usage included tailor's lining (haircloth).  Gold fillings were removed from the teeth of the corpses and melted into ingots.  Ashes were used as fertilizer, or filling in nearby ponds or river beds. 

In addition to the most atrocious genocide, most people did not realize or associate the Holocaust being the largest robbery in human history. 

September 1, 1939
Nazi Germany invaded Poland
At 0445, WWII broke out

Auschwitz II - Birkenau
Facing the entrance and the watch tower

As the number of inmates increased, the area covered by the camp also grew, until it was transformed into one gigantic and horrific factory of death.  Auschwitz I became the parent to a whole generation of new camps.  Construction of Auschwitz II Birkenau began in 1941 and by 1942, Auschwitz III was built in Monowice, also near Oświęcim.   

Most, if not all, deportees arrived by rail.
The distance traveled sometimes reached as much as
2,400 km (1,500 miles).  Deportees typically traveled for 7-10 days
before reaching their final destination.  Upon arrival,
some victims - above all old people and children -
were already dead; while the rest were
in a state of extreme exhaustion.

About 100 people would be crammed
into this sealed goods wagon, crowded like
cattle, without food, water, ventilation, or toilets.
There were typically ten wagons to
a train, bringing approximately 1,000 prisoners
to the camp each time. 

Upon arrival, prisoners were unloaded from the trains
and families members were immediately wrenched from each other.
Men on one side, women and children on the other.

Each person was then examined by a SS physician,
whose finger would point to the right or the left:
Right to the barracks to perform endless hard labor.
Left - children under 15, old people, the sick and the weak -
 were sent to the gas chambers for immediate execution. 

The exterior of a woman's brick barrack (obviously there would not be any grass...)


Brick barracks were built without foundations,
directly on swampy ground.  Most of these had no floor
at all.  Brick barracks housed women prisoners.

Men and women were placed in separate barracks, some constructed in brick; others in wood.  

Interior of the same woman's brick barrack

Eight women were placed on each of three tiers.  The bottom tier
would have rotten straw scattered over the concrete floor.
Up to a thousand inmates would live in a primitive barrack,
without any plumbing systems or heating in the winter. 
Diseases especially typhus, typhoid fever, and scabies were rampant, 
as were rats, insects, and other vermin.

The "left" finger determined the fate of
millions who walked this very road
to the gas chambers.  

The runis of a crematorium in Birkenaun.
There was one small crematorium with four furnaces in Auschwitz I.  
The furnaces could burn approximately 350 bodies daily. 
Four crematoria each with ten furnaces were built in Birkenau.

There were so many bodies that these furnaces were
operating 24/7.  By 1944 additional temporary crematoria were
built to accommodate the demand.

Ashes were dumped in a pond behind these
commemorative stones

Children were sent to Auschwitz together with adults.
They were first of all Jews, Gypsies, but also Poles
and Russians; and were treated in the same way as adults.

Some children, especially twins, served as objects of
criminal experiments.  SS doctor Joseph Mengele experimented on twins as part of a genetic program and anthropological research.
Other SS doctors also experimented
application of medical and chemical preparations on inmates,  
including injections or applications of known toxin, viruses; 
sterilization experiments on Jewish women to develop
efficient method for biological extermination
of the nations, mainly Slavs. 


Mengele survived the war, and later fled to South America,
where he evaded capture for the rest of his life despite
being hunted as a war criminal.  Mengele died in Brazil in 1979.
He drowned, possibly the result of a stroke or heart attack,
while swimming in the Atlantic. 

Steps led to the International Monument
which stands between crematoria II and III.
Each one of these paving stones symbolically
represented a Holocaust victim.  
The International Monument was ceremonially unveiled
in April 1967.

European Excursion - Photo Montage Part IV: Krakow

Overnight train from Praha to Krakow
9+ hours journey in a 2-person sleeper car.
Katie got the top bunk.

Looking hopeful for a night of some sleep.

Unfortunately, it became a night
of no sleep for me

At first glance it reads like "24 hour A-Hole"... 

For all you Fashionistas out there... 

Pimiento, the fancy Argentinian Grill
where we enjoyed a delicious lunch

I never met a caper I didn't like, especially
these huge, delicious ones with a stem.
Tried looking for them to no avail.  :-(

The ice-cream shops put Baskin Robbins
to complete shame

Click Clop Click Clop Click Clop...

The fabulous Rynek Główny Market Square, smacked right in the middle of Old Town Krakow.
Rynek Glowny is the largest city square in Europe, measured 200m X 200m.
Majestic buildings dot the Square.  Old Town is enriched by
the Planty, a narrow parkland that was once the moat.  

Looking down from the Mariacka Steeple.
The tower is the Town Hall Tower.

Another view of the Twin Steeples 

Gothic towers of St. Mary's Basilica,
landmark of the Rynek Glowny.
The Basilica boasts stained glass windows by Stanislaw,
Wyspianski, and Josef Mehoffer;
the gilded wooden alterpiece was carved by Wit Stwosz. 

The taller of the Twin Mariacka Steeples stands 80 meters (262 ft) tall.
The Trumpeter of Krakow plays a melody
(called the Hejnal mariacki) from this steeple
every hour on the hour.
It is played four times once in each direction, for 24 hours. 

239 steps to the high tower

A team of 7 trumpeters is responsible
for playing the hejnal
around the clock

The hejnal is a simple 5-note melody.
 It was likely a signal of the opening and closing of the city gates.  The tune ends oddly and abruptly but nobody knows why.  Legend had it that the bugler played the hejnal to warn of an attack from the marauding Mongols back in the 13th Century.  As the bugler sounded the alarm, he was shot by an arrow;
thus his warning cut short. 

Our trumpeter playing the tune at 2 o'clock.
He first struck the bell at the tower before
playing the hejnal. 

Katie climbing the stairs up the tower

Not exactly a safe place to visit...

City Hostel, a clean and inexpensive
hostel to rest our heads for three nights
while in Krakow.
Highly recommended. 

It's not fancy, but got everything we needed.
Clean beds, linen, towels, clean shared bathroom
(but we ended up being the only ones using it so
it is a private bath)... 

...and FREE WiFi all the way
in our room!

We would typically purchase fresh fruit
and breakfast items from the local markets.
As seen on TV...musli, organic soy milk, bread,
fruit, etc.  Please notice the Starbucks
VIA Ready Brew in the corner...
It kept me sane for two weeks. 

City Hostel also provides a generous breakfast buffet every morning.
A typical spread of breakfast includes
cereal with milk, various kinds of deli meat, cheeses,
bread, butter and preserves, sliced fresh tomatoes and
cucumbers, and coffee and tea.  

The common area is open 24/7 with a television
and WiFi access. There is drinking water,
hot water, a refrigerator, and a sink.

A washing machine is available for guests'
laundry.  Supply your own detergent.
We took advantage of this service
and washed our one-week worth
of dirty laundry.  

Chimera salad bar inspired by the milk bar (bar mleczny) concept
(but not the Australian Milk Bar).  It's a Polish form
of no frills eatery/cafeteria.  The original Milk Bar was subsidized
by the state during the communist era to provide simple
and wholesome meals to the poor.  The large part of the
menu was based on dairy, hence, Milk Bar.   

This was a small plate - select four items
from the salad bar.  Costs 12 pln (about $4) for
a portion enough for us to share.

Pierogi filled with peaches and berries.
20 pln for ten pierogies.  Tasted OK, but
not great.

Katie just had to reign in the cheetah... 

Attended a concert at the St. Something Church;
its name escaped me...

Performed by the Krakow Chamber Music.
The caliber was passible, but not stellar.
Frankly, it is what you would expect for a
$20 concert aimed for tourists

Night scene at Krakow

Street performers playing with
fire at Rynek Glowny!

The magnificent Wawel Royal Castle

Back of the Wawel Castle

My tourist shot at the Castle..

Katie and the Wawel Dragon
a famous dragon in Polish folklore

A farmers market in Krakow Kazimierz
(Jewish Quarter) 

The New Jewish Cemetery
Established in 1880 and destroyed during WWII.
Tidied up in 1957. A resting place of recognized
members of the Jewish community.
Monument to the victims of the Holocaust.

Traditional Polish food at Polskie Smaki, near Old Town.
Pork cutlet, stuffed cabbage, salad, and
apple pancakes.

Watching the sunrise from the bedroom window
of the hostel. The trumpeter sounding
its melody from afar.

My friend Kevin's recommendation:  Lunch at
U Pani Stasi, so we had to try.

I had zupa rosół (beef broth with noodles), Katie had cauliflower soup. 

These are the tastiest pierogi z mięsem
(pierogi with meat).  We also had a small beet salad.  
The total damage?  
All under 21 PLN - that's about $7 for two people! 

Dziękuję, Kevin! (read Je

n-KOO-yee)
Thank you!

Looks self-explanatory to me

Krakow main train station, buying
train tickets back to Prague

Also looks self-explanatory to me...