Friday 27 November 2015

Tired & Weary Day.


Tired & weary I plodded home from the museum, my bones less pained than my muscles.  Weariness began last night when a knock came on the door around ten o'clock. Two friendly members of the constabulary were enquiring about my neighbour, who has not been seen since, he and her have been up to something somewhere.  Half dressed, I was watching football in bed, and a I explained to them I was on a football planet not one concerning neighbours.  I missed the last two minutes of the game because of them!
I also failed to sleep for ages and woke at eight this morning with a sponge for a brain, at work they said this was not unusual.  Not only was I kept busy I had to buy my lunch rather than eat at home because of staff shortages.  However the day was profitable and we took a decent amount of cash and the girls have been preparing for tomorrows 'John Ray Day.'


This ought to be a good day as many are interested in this nature lover however the wee pony seen above, used as therapy for injured kids and others will not make it, some thieving rat stole their truck and trailer!  I suspect however the stall holders who arrive and those who drop in will have a decent time.  I will be even more weary by the finish.

 
What a interesting little book this is.
Usually books about Adolf concern his rantings and world domination plans but here we see another side of the man who would have ruled Europe.  
Christa Schroeder began work for the early Nazi Party years before the war, this for work as it was hard to find and not for ideological reasons she claims.  In this she might be right as it appears she comprehended or cared little for what was happening outside of the Leadership bubble in which she operated.  Once she had climbed the heights to be one of Hitlers favourite secretary's she was then unable to leave even if she wished.  Hitler and he alone decided who came or went.
Her shorthand skills were important during the early years as she took dictation, typed out his speeches ad retyped as he amended them time and again.  Surely during this period she grasped something of the intentions of the man?  Surely she realised where Germany was headed?  At the end of the war she was interrogated by the allies and one suggested that she could be regarded as 'dumb!'  It is possible she really did not comprehend what was going on even though she saw the control of Ukraine and in the end the devastation of Berlin.  It is possible her life was too close to Hitler himself and under his spell as many were to be objective about what she saw around her, maybe she shared a mental outlook that ran through Germany at the time, one that is difficult to explain.

This is not a straight forward book more a collection of typed notes that were published some years ago, later translated into English.  These notes she put together to put some stories right and others to explain her position.  Many in Germany were doing that after the war.  These contain stories about the various campaigns where the backroom staff followed the chief to his headquarters even though he rarely made use of them.  Hitler kept his office staff separate from the real business at hand and used them as a way of escape from the trials of taking others land ans killing the population.  These girls were a sort of middle class escape where he met them daily for tea and cake and talk far removed from war.  Politics and military matters were never discussed here, art, plans, architecture (Adolf saw himself as an architect not a painter), history and all sorts of subjects were given his views, views he studied by voracious reading and by memorising large amounts of detail so he could spew it back as his own.
Hitler was the centre of the life in this 'Bubble,' many wished to be there so they could stake a claim for position, few were true friends to others.  The people of the circle are mentioned by Christa with particular care for the women, is she bitchy or were the men of little interest to her?  None wanted her even though a few were kind towards her.  
This book could be seen to glamorise a man who caused millions of deaths however it fails to do so by revealing his selfish obsessions at all times.  His personality shines through in spite of the tea and cake, the kissing of ladies hands (he was Austrian after all not Prussian) and generous gifts to one and all.  Those who offended him especially by disagreeing were not invited back, even Christa was  
'blackballed' for a year for talking back, Adolfs inabilities and weaknesses and limited outlook are always on show in these pages.  His brutal attitude to opposition, his reliance on his own 'will' and his lack of real deep care are clear to see.  It is a wonder people stuck close to him, a wonder he had so many followers.  That is the thing people believed in him, his ability to convince and carry an entire nation led them to destruction.  Christa working alongside him does not appear to carry any insight into faults re his agenda, as indeed did many others.

A lesson here for us all.  The world follows all too easily the leaders it chooses, deep thought and conscience are not always brought into place.  Right and wrong are concepts that can easily be amended to suit our purposes and concern for others fades when our advantage appears.

9 comments:

Lee said...

So many people are willing to live their lives in fear, of being prepared to live "under the spell" of another. Christa obviously was one of those...as well as being "dumb" as suggested.

Look at the numbers of people who become willing victims of cults, time and time again. I will never understand the weakness of the minds of some people. They choose to...they want to be led like sheep. Christa must have had many pairs of blinkers...large ones that she wore at all times. She obviously didn't have a mind of her own or a conscience.

The hold Hitler had over the German people would be unbelievable if it was told in a book of fiction...but it wasn't fiction...unfortunately millions died because of his evil; and that no one stood up to him from early on...he was just allowed to sprout his insanity.

A person such as Christa disgusts me. And there are still so many like her in our world today.

carol in cairns said...

What a pity the miniature horse won't be there. Perhaps it could travel by bus?

carol in cairns said...

Oh ~ and how intriguing about your neighbours. I wonder what 'no good' they have been up to??

the fly in the web said...

Look at the hold Thatcher had....and now, that drug addict Cameron...tell people there is no alternative and they'll believe you.

Father told me to read the book on Hitler's table talk...as he said, once you read that you'll appreciate the sheer evil of banality.

Lady Di Tn said...

I agree with Lee as it is hard to understand how so many could be lead like sheep but again it is hard for me to understand how Ole Big Ears won his second term here in the states. People were boasting that they had voted twice and voting areas had more people to vote than were registered but not once was a recount demanded. Lots of those in government now are truly SNAKE OIL SALESMEN, The fair sounds nice and I hope you get out and enjoy the day. Peace

Mo said...

Like Carol I am curious as to why people were knocking on your door late at night seeking the neighbours, did they have the wee white pony?
As for those who support tyrants, my how looking back changes everything. How will Blair and Bush be viewed in another 50 yrs? And how about their speech writers. Why do we never learn?

Adullamite said...

Lee, It is strange. Cults offer something people want but how did Christa perceive Adolf? It is interesting to consider how Germans saw him and the movement. Many feared them but there was a strange hold he had over the majority.

Carol, It was indeed a pity. We did however have to guide dogs, one retired and one training.

Carol, Saturday night and no sign of them. Usually they are happy to hide away (oops wrong term) at the weekend.

Fly, Hitler's table talk is banal indeed. Dad was right.

Lady, You are better having Obama than you will be with Trump!

Mo, I wonder if the pony is in there, I will listen at the door! Not just Blair and Bush, Blair at least asked about what happens after the invasion. It was Rumsfeld and Cheney, two dangerous creepy men who were the leaders. I read Cheney never allowed Blair to be alone with Bush! These two need investigating.

Jenny Woolf said...

I do think she must have been thick, or maybe quite nasty too. The most interesting portrayal of Hitler is in that film Downfall which I expect you know. It is really chilling and has stayed with me, yet portrays him very much as a real person much as you describe. And a loser, ultimately, not just because he lost the war but because he killed himself, being too chicken to face the music for what he had done and content to let Germany look after itself after all his useless promises to it.

Adullamite said...

Jenny, Hitler lived in his own world. That is he only saw the world as he wanted it to be and shouted down anyone who disagreed or indicated the facts.