旅行的意義

   A few weeks ago, I took part in the salon about 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and it was held by "Lung Yin-Tai Cultural Foundation". The word "salon" is actually associated with French literary and philosophical salons of the 17th century and 18th century. Elites gathered together and exchanged their thinking, and therefore gained more knowledge through conversation.

  The lecturer of this salon is Mr. Jörn Mothes. Actually, he is not only a theologist but also a champion of the human rights for former east Germans. Before his lecture, we saw a documentary film named "Jeder schweigt von etwas anderem (Last to know)". The film depicts three families who had been imprisoned by former government of east Germany for political accusations. The director interviewed these sufferers and tells us their still alive memories. Most of them refused to recall the past because it would be very suffering for them. They can only keep it in their deep mind as if a secret which is always last to know...

   After finishing the film, Mr. Mothes started to share his experience of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. At that time, most of east Germans were really glad to see it. However, he didn't see any judgement on the abusers, so he decided to fight for the sufferers' rights. I think most people have no doubt about the unification of Germany, but the subsequent policies may be not so well considered. During the salon, many people asked Mr. Mothes's opinion on the political issue of Taiwan and China. He relied the experience of Germany may be not suitable for Taiwan since we're in quite different situation, but there are still something we can learn from. 20 years is actually not so far away for me...How would we (the young generation) be in the future?