5 Minute Reflection #14.02: If You See Something, Say Something

"If you see something, say something." We hear that continuously in airports, train stations and other public places. It's about fighting terrorism. It's about trusting no person, no parcel, no behavior that appears out of place. It's also about resisting the temptation to look the other way, the temptation to avoid involvement. 

Today is the 30th anniversary of the death of Martin Niemöller, a German Lutheran pastor known for his outspoken pacifism. Ironically, Niemöller was a successful and decorated U-Boat commander in World War I. After the war, following in his father's footsteps, he took a sharp turn and was ordained a Lutheran Minister in 1924. Niemöller wrote about this journey in a book called, Vom U-Boot zur Kanzel (From U-boat to Pulpit). 

First a supporter of Hitler and the Third Reich, he took another sharp turn and became an outspoken opponent. Niemöller was arrested several times and spent eight years in concentration camps until the liberation of Dachau in 1945. He was a contemporary and colleague of theologians Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the Confessional Church and the Pastors' Emergency League, respectively. For his anti-Nazi activities, Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging in the Flossenbürg concentration camp at dawn on April 9, 1945, just two weeks before the camp's liberation. 

Niemöller has been criticized for early alignment with Hitler and for various apparently anti-Semitic statements. However, former cellmate Leo Stein having escaped to America, wrote a 1941 article about Niemöller for The National Jewish Monthly. Stein's article suggests that Niemöller's repudiation of the Nazi Regime and all of its policies was ultimately complete and unequivocal. Nevertheless, Niemöller himself never denied his own guilt during the early years of the Nazi regime. In 1959, asked about his former attitudes by Alfred Wiener, a Jewish researcher into racism and war crimes, Niemöller stated that his eight-year imprisonment by the Nazis became the sharp turning point in his life, after which he viewed things differently.

Today, Niemöller is remembered for the following saying:

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out — 
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — 
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — 
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — 
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me — 
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

May I suggest two points of reflection?

1. Never be afraid to take a sharp turn in your point of view. It would be a shame to require seven years in a concentration camp to rise above the fog.
2. If you see something, say something.

Seven of Nine... Resistance Is Futile

Seven Of Nine

Okay, I admit it. That's a shameless attempt to attract trekkies to this blog. But now that you're here, please read on. This is day seven of nine of blogging and tweeting about human trafficking and, more specifically, asking for your support of Born To Fly International (http://born2fly.org/).

For better or worse, the Star Trek franchise has always contained subplots rich in social commentary. Ocassionally compelling, some were subtle allegory while others were awkward and contrived. The clearest statement on racism, for example, was made in Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (original air date 1/10/69). But what of Seven of Nine, the Star Trek: Voyager character played by Jeri Ryan, who has been rescued from the Borg collective. What do she and the Borg represent? Her presence on Voyager gives the lie to the Borg claim "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile." The Borg are the ultimate human traffickers, in fact enslaving humanoid races from across the galaxy, turning their captives into cyborgs and submerging all personality and individuality deep below the collective consciousness.

The complete dehumanization perpetrated by the Borg seems to most of us something that would only happen in science fiction, centuries and light-years away. Yet, something equally horrific happens every hour of the day, today, right now on planet Earth. Children are sold, abducted and enslaved in the sex trade and other forms of forced labor. For most, resistance truly is futile. It is difficult to imagine how the tide can be turned against this industry, estimated at over $9 billion each year.

We cannot accept futility.

We must believe that we can do something. We must do something. Initiatives are in play all over the world. In the big cities, even Chicago area, where I am writing, law enforcement is stepping up its efforts. Yes, human trafficking, modern day slavery exists right here in "The Land of Lincoln." Across the world, relief agencies are working against the social and economic roots of the problem. Others are working to educate children and their parents so they can avoid falling prey to the traffickers. Born To Fly hopes to raise about $81,000 this week to publish trans-cultural educational resoureces to accomplish just that. This is a "crowdfunding" effort. They're really just looking for about $9 from each of about 9,000 people. If you can help, please visit http://born2fly.org/.

Resistance is not futile.

PS: Monday, September 7th is the Labor Day holiday. I'm posting early so I can take a day off-line. Have a great day!