Pondering a Hungarian National Holiday today...
October 23, 2015 – Hungarian
National Holiday commemorating the 1956 Revolution
So how does a revolution take
place? College students mostly led the
revolution in Poland and Hungary in 1956.
I find that interesting because college students or young adults also
were the ones to set up the aid to migrants in Hungary this past summer/early
fall. Now – other people joined in but
it was the youth that took the initiative.
Why is that? Are the ‘youth’ more
determined to make a difference? Do they
see the cup as half full more than the older crowd?
Nem tu dom (I don’t know) but I
find it fascinating living in this part of the world. Now there were many factors that were part of
the 1956 revolution and I’m sure a bit more complicated than my little mind can
comprehend but I am interested…what makes us more doubtful and fearful as we
age?
I find that in my own life;
perhaps more hesitant to tackle those things that were ‘nothing but a thing’
even just 10 years ago. How can I get
that done? How could I make a difference
there? And yet…and yet… Here I am in Central Europe doing something
totally different than I was 2 years ago and loving pretty much each
moment. What or where is the
balance? Where do the wisdom and
experience of aging meet the resiliency and energy of youth?
I spent a couple hours with a
Hungarian family today and I asked – what does this day mean to you? They answered – this was the time that many
people left Hungary for America. Isn’t
that interesting – that is the thought left in their minds? They were not alive during the revolution but
they certainly grew up in the aftermath – communist years in Hungary. So many were imprisoned, killed and sent to
concentration camps (not just Jews) – but the migrants were their memory as the
result of the revolution.
Anyway – I haven’t blogged in a
while and my life has been a bit chaotic to be truthful but today made me
stop. It made me stop and be thankful
for history, for good people, and mostly for my family and friends that are in
my life. My life – that is certainly
aging but more than that; it is changing and I like that. Not revolutionary change but I do believe life is good and
God is waaaay betterJ.
*********************************************************************************
‘My version of the 1956 Hungarian
Revolution’ - Many people were tired of communism and a group of college
students began to march through downtown Budapest towards Parliament. They had a loudspeaker from Radio Free Europe
and were stating their demands. Then some
students entered the radio station to state their demands on air. They were detained but the demonstrators
outside were adamant to hear the demands.
The State Security Police shot at the demonstrators and many died but
one was wrapped in a flag and held above the crowd. The word spread quickly and the revolution
began! Within 10 days – life was back to
‘normal’ – the people had organized into militias – radical working councils
gained control form the State Security Police and the demonstrators thought
they had won; their country was free from communism and a new ‘government’ was
in control. The Russian troops had
withdrawn from Budapest but were waiting in the background; Russia was
preparing to attack and take back control.
And that they did! November 3rd
brought an invite to the ‘new’ government to discuss details of the Soviet
withdrawal. While at that meeting; the
KGB arrested them and the tanks were surrounding Budapest. On November 4th; the tanks entered
Budapest meeting resistance through November 9th. Finally on November 10th the Red
Army took the country back. They were
communist controlled until 1989 when communism fell in Europe.
Comments
Post a Comment