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There is one thing that has been bothering me for a long time: The sad and bitter faces of people in the public. In Dresden/Germany, where I live, I use the excellent public transport system almost every single day. It’s the perfect place to watch people of all ages and backgrounds. Today, I was especially struck by the bitter looks of several elderly women. I’m sure they have been through a lot: Most probably experienced World War II and the hard times after (the memorial day of Dresden’s bombing is coming up on February 13). Some may have lost their father or brother. Then came 40 years of socialist rule in the GDR. Quite a lot of people built their life on the system, so its crashing collapse in 1989 was not a liberating experience for all, like it was for me. Economic demise and decline in population have taken their toll on the pension system too, whereas the switch to the Euro currency seems to have increased prices.

Still, Germany is one of the richest countries in the world. How is it possible that we are world leaders in complaining? (I’m not excluding myself – it’s a very easy thing to do …) We’re back to the question of meaning in life. As for me, I’m still struggling with it occasionally, but because I entrusted my life to God, I know that I am in His hands. Another thing that plays into all of this is the insecurity of older people toward the younger generation, for which I cannot really blame them. The question I have is this: How can we, how can I reach out to all those sad and bitter people?

On a happier note, I did notice an older couple in a bus who were very sweet to each other and seemed to enjoy just riding through the city. There is hope.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 23rd, 2006 at 6:00 pm and is filed under Faith, Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.