Breaking the walls of tribalism

Yahoo! 360° - Rich Bledsoe's Blog - Entry for December 05, 2005 Our New Task: "After WW2 the movement had a chance to purchase a huge old resort hotel named Caux in Switzerland at a basement price, because it had been spoiled through troop quartering during the war. News was cabled to Buchman (the leader of the movement, who was in America all through the war) in early 1946 asking what he thought of the possible purchase. He cabled back immediately, "Buy". It was large enough for large, continuous conferences, and was in Switzerland, the only possible place in Europe that European wide reconciliations could take place (because of their neutral stance during the war). The place was purchased, and restored through much sacrifice and volunteerism.

A great conference was staged with people from "every" nation in shattered Europe. The conference began as a gala event. Buchman was on his way from America. Everyone anticipated his arrival with great joy, and anticipated his great pleasure in all that had been accomplished. The day arrived, and a great reception was planned. Everything was perfect. There was music with orchestra and brass. There were colorful folk dancers from every nation. Buchman walked in, looked around, and spoke the unspeakable. He said, "Where are the Germans?" Everyone was stunned and speechless. He said, "If you think you are going to rebuild Europe without the Germans, you are living in a dolt's daydream." And he went to his room.

He was assured that this was impossible. Germans were not allowed out of Germany at that time. And the far deeper truth was nobody wanted them there. Most of these people had lost family members both as war casualties and in prison and concentration camps. Buchman was adamant. The Germans must be there. The impossible must be done. A contingency of more than a hundred Germans came (the first Germans allowed to leave Germany). The group included Konrad Adenauer, who later became the Chancellor of West Germany. Impossible things happened that were extremely costly. Jesus Christ came alive. Supernaturally, reconciliations transpired, and this was the first place that the Germans were welcomed back into the family of the world's nations. Adenauer through these people met Frenchmen, including Robert Schuman, the Prime Minister of France, with whom he commenced to work to bring reconciliation between France and Germany. The story of this reconciliation that ultimately issued in the so called “Schuman Plan” is remarkable, and the foundations for it all came through what transpired at Caux. Not much later, the first contingency of people allowed to leave Japan also came to Caux, and in similar fashion, this was the first welcoming back into the family of nations on their part. That group included Nebusuke Kishi, who later became the only Christian Prime Minister that Japan has ever had, and similar reconciliations transpired with them as with the Germans.

Now we live in a supposedly "postmodern" world. If you will permit bluntness on my part, postmodernism is academic tribalism. It states that the only universal principle is that there are not universally recognized principles whereby people can discourse with one another. It is the complete death of the Enlightenment dream, which believed in objective principles of reason that were equally accessible to all."


Always interesting. Read the whole thing.