Tuesday 9 April 2019

Dietrich Bonhoeffer


On April 9th, 1945, today 74 years ago, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed in concentration camp Flossenbürg, only two weeks before its liberation by the U.S. Army.

Some years ago, I bought this small booklet “Worte für jeden Tag”, with quotes and extracts from Bonhoeffer’s work. His writings bear witness to an enormous spiritual strength. It is amazing how a single man could show such individual resistance against a totalitarian system. To overcome the internal doubt and the fear and yet keep following the right path requires a huge faith.

We should not admire Bonhoeffer because of his forlorn fate; his enemies had determined this for him. We should admire him for his spirituality, for being consequent in his resistance against mainstream and his incredible persistence. Even if we can’t condemn people for not having had his strength at that time, the attitude of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is the only real weapon against new successful types of barbarism.

Belonging to a protestant church himself, Bonhoeffer somehow unites Christians of all traditions. Many Catholics cherish his words and venerate him like a saint. Let us hope he will at least receive his deserved attention next year, when the end of the war will be 75 years behind us.

I refer to “The Siren Songs of Simplicity” and to my Dutch blogs: “Titus Brandsma” and “Hannah Arendt”.

Tuesday 2 April 2019

Cycling in Flanders and beyond

In this first week of April, the whole of Flanders is getting ready for the cycling classics, such as the Tour of Flanders (also called “Flanders’ most beautiful”).  This is not just a yearly, extra-ordinary mobilisation of professionals. It really lives in the whole country, among supporters, amateur-cyclists and semi-professionals. In the first light of spring, you see hundreds of people on race bikes everywhere in the countryside and I am one of them.

Although Flanders no longer dominates this sports, it is still the epicentre of a lot of cycling activity. Actually Flanders managed to export its enthusiasm to other countries. The wonderful thing is: this is a sports that mobilises all classes in society. It is obviously good for the physical condition and it is a great way to explore and enjoy the various landscapes of a region. It is also a very ecological activity as it encourages the use of the bike for other purposes as well. The main drawback of this sports is the safety risk. It is not well compatible with car traffic and I regret to say the cycling infrastructure (cycling lanes) are still in a very poor condition in our country. We are saying this since decades now; we have not given up hope though.

Cycling really belongs to the soul of Flanders. But Flemish cycling fanatics are not only found in and around the Flemish Ardennes. You will also find them at the legendary challenges of the Tour de France, such as the Mont Ventoux. (We hope to write more about this later.)

I refer to my blogs: “Mens Sana in Corpore Sano” and “Bij de fietsenmaker”.

Picture: Kuurne, shutterstock.com