reflections

Lest we forget

I have started my German classes at the Goethe Institut which has a diverse range of people from around the world in it. One of my contacts at the Literaturewerkstratt is Italian and we went out for dinner tonight with her boyfriend and her German friend. So we have had wide ranging discusssions around politics respectively in Australia, Germany, Italy and India- the last from one of the women I’m getting to know better from my German class. As can be seen from my most recent posts I have also been vastly disturbed by the latest repressions in Vietnam. This has moved me to add to “The Daughters of Au Co” the story I’m reading at the Literaturwerkstratt in November and to ponder changing the end of my doctorate novel the Lady of the Realm.  What has changed for me is the optimism I had for peace with the Communist regime in Vietnam in 2007 and 2008.  Berlin is one peaceful example of a communist regime coming down from within. I’m not sure that this is possible in Vietnam and until recently I optimistically hoped that the regime was changing due to its global commitments. Thich Nhat Hanh inspired me to think that peace was possible when I went on retreat with him in 2007. Now I think that in some instances it is possible- but in some cases not probable.