Words Cannot Reach Those Who Cannot Be Reached
“Of course, ordinary people do not want war. But it is always easy to get the people to take part in a war. It is very simple. All you have to do is tell them that they are under attack and openly denounce pacifists as unpatriotic people who are putting the country in danger. This method works just as well in any country.” (Attributed to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, although some say it was said by Hermann Göring, Reich Marshal of Nazi Germany.) “When the Nazis came for the Communists [Note 2], I did not speak out, because I was not a Communist. When they imprisoned the Social Democrats, I did not speak out, because I was not a Social Democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.” (Martin Niemöller, German pastor) I feel that these two statements still sound a warning today. Yet the reality is that words simply do not reach some peopl...