There’s a cold fog descended over the valley outside. I’ve witnessed strange things, like an eagle perched on a lamppost being attacked by a small bird. Only eventually for me to figure out that the little bird was probably defending its nest. How it would potentially give up its life to protect its young. Wow. We see that kind of thing in the movies, but here I was seeing it in nature right in front of me for real.

The world seems to be a little dark at the moment. I visited the Dachau concentration camp near Munich in Germany a few days ago. It was a remarkable place. Now a memorial site, the area is buzzing with activity. I got there by public transport which itself was packed to capacity. And once I did arrive, I was greeted by the spectacle of various church groups processing through, armed not as in the olden days with weapons but now with flags, statues and banners.

I joined a tour, and I think on more than one occasion the tour guide seemed ready to burst into tears. I think I was equally prepared to do the same as I heard the stories about the past atrocities that occurred in that place.

I suppose it is how we try to understand it that is the most disturbing aspect. For in many senses, there is nothing really to understand. I heard about the practice of pole hanging, which is where prisoners had their arms drawn behind them and then they had their wrists bound. They were hung from a pole with their feet off the ground. This could last for many hours. There was no apparent reason for doing this. In one case you might be tortured because your cup had a mark on it. On another day it could be because your shoes were dirty. But for someone else, it could be that the boots were to clean.

The guide didn’t want me to record her, which I respected. She later explained to me that many Holocaust deniers had come and recorded her and used that material to attempt to discredit everything she stood for and the fact that the place was even a concentration camp at all. The power of social media is quite disturbing. I have made a decision to stop using it as much as possible. I realise that merely having an account and being active is something that encourages and enriches the company’s that enable this nonsense. I don’t want to be part of that any more.

Perhaps one of the more shocking aspects of the talk was the speed at which events transpired following the election of Hitler to be German Reich Chancellor. The Dachau concentration camp opened just 2 or 3 months after he assumed that the position. As I learned about events in the bookshop, I was confronted by the fact that I’m mostly ignorant about all things related to modern history. Perhaps I know what is offered to me, but I feel that I ought to find out facts from myself and understand things better.

I started doing this research in the gift shop and in the half-hour that I spent perusing material, I learnt a startling amount. One of the first things was that Hitler used democratic and legal processes to assume power. The second was that he used a potent propaganda machine to spread his word and win back support. Another aspect of curiosity was how Hitler used the technique of trying to inoculate the German population from having any sentiment or empathy towards other nations. He wanted to teach them that misfortune for other countries was good for Germany because it meant they had a chance to get ahead. It reminded me, sadly, of a famous politician that I see operating in today’s era.

The books I want to buy were far too heavy, so I made a note of which they were and resolved to buy and read them in time to come. The first one was a narrative by Madeleine Albright, called “Fascism a Warning”.

I thought it was time to try something new, so this evening I managed to secure a copy on audible. I’ve listened to about 90 minutes so far while working away on other projects. It is truly fascinating, and I already feel significantly enlightened in those events of modern history. Madeleine is credible and authentic. One unexpected thing I discovered was that fascism really started gaining popularity in Italy, through Benito Mussolini. Hitler came later.

It made me wonder as to whether the events that transpire in the USA will awaken a monster from some other nation, rather than from the great USA itself. After all, that was how it seemed to happen around the time of World War II.

This is not really meant to be a blog about world history or politics, but I can’t help being involved both emotionally and mentally after having visited the site of a concentration camp. There were so many of these, as depicted on the map inside one of the prison cells. We ignore it at our peril, and therefore I decided I would mention it here.

Should we feel hope hopeless and discouraged as a result of those tragic events? Or can we do better? I like to think we can do better because by understanding the past we can truly learn and take steps to make sure that such a path does not repeat itself. Perhaps most twisted about all of this is a book called Sapiens that I’m also reading. Indeed, we hear about the Holocaust of the Jews were 6 million of them were put to death under the Nazi regime. Unfortunately, what we never hear about is that over 6 million souls lost their lives from Africa through the squandering, colonial greed of what is now Western Europe. It operated to plunder what was then the New World of gold, silver, spices and other natural resources.

Let’s try not to get too depressed about it and hope that all those things belong firmly in yesterday. We all need to work to make sure that our tomorrow does not repeat such history and to all of you that care, I ask you to get involved in your community and make yourselves known to politicians to ensure that such travesties do not occur again.