It is difficult to rid yourself, in only a few weeks, of 30 or 40 years of private belief that the world is a good place. With our rooted ideas of justice, we believed in the existence of a German, a European, and international conscience, and we were convinced That a certain degree of inhumanity assure to self destruct in the face of humane standards. I’m trying to be as honest as possible here, so I must admit that in 1933 and 1934, none of us in Germany and Austria would’ve contemplated the possibility of 100th part, 1000th part of what was about to break over us a little later. 389
An Austrian novelist, playwright, and biographer writes about cultural life in Austria, Europe, and the world before World War One and World War Two. He describes the prosperity and thriving cultural scene, and then discusses how this was destroyed by the two world wars.
Through a self-centered lens, what sticks out most is how those people found themselves in stable prosperous societies. It seemed like everything would keep chugging along. With hindsight, it seems like there were high levels of denial about the threats around Austria. These wealthy cultural centers seemed invulnerable. Then a huge war happened. Then it happened again. It makes the possibility seem real, and timeless.
Idea Density – lower
Related Books – The New Leviathans, Straw Dogs
Recommend to others: no
Reread personally: no
Quotes
It is difficult to rid yourself, in only a few weeks, of 30 or 40 years of private belief that the world is a good place. With our rooted ideas of justice, we believed in the existence of a German, a European, and international conscience, and we were convinced That a certain degree of inhumanity assure to self destruct in the face of humane standards. I’m trying to be as honest as possible here, so I must admit that in 1933 and 1934, none of us in Germany and Austria would’ve contemplated the possibility of 100th part, 1000th part of what was about to break over us a little later. 389
The Digital Sauna 