21 August 1968 and after

It was Wednesday (I think) and it was supposed to be just an ordinary working day. Get up at 5.15 a.m., get some breakfast and up to work. 8.5 hours in the factory toolroom - a job I liked, but I had big dreams too. Blue skis were mesmerizing me - I wanted to go up, fly high - I was fascinated by NASA and the first people orbiting the Earth whether they were Russians or Americans, they were all heroes in my eyes.  I was twenty and  the world was beautiful, my country was breathing freely after twenty years of communist stiff rules. Everything had a big impact on me - first time in my life I was proud on  my country, on the changes we have done since January and I was willing to sacrifice something too, for our future. We were reading and discussing Masaryk's books with other workmates, banned for so many years. It was like Lenin's theory of revolution the other way round (or was it the right way?). 

I had dreams, but I did not dream; I went to an evening school to get higher education which was denied by communist to all our family years ago. My father was accused from connection with imperialists and jailed in 1949, then he was thrown in a labor camp (coal mines) and after he was released he had to work at rolling mills as a laborer - for 20 years. Why? He was a district secretary of Socialist Democratic Party before communist seized power in 1948. Others were less lucky - they were executed just as a warning to others.  

Despite all that I was happy, I felt like Jack London in his book Martin Eden. I knew the working class, I was one of them and I was working my way up - from the factory shop floor. I had good foundations built in real life experience. I lived my dream, although I did not realized it then. It takes long time to realize that happiness is the road not the destination. If you reach the top and you do not see another point to conquer the only way is way down. I was on my way up. 

And then I heard half asleep ... "Zdenku, you woke up in the bad morning, Russians are here."  I can still hear my mum that morning on the 21st of August 1968. That moment is frozen in my mind forever. First, I could not believe it. We all knew about the threat from the Eastern Empire but we took it only as a threat, as an intimidation. It was year 1968 not 1939, we had the United Nations, we believed that NATO would not let us down. In the Spring 1968 our government was united and they had strong support from the people, despite different opinions which way to go after we broke through the Iron Curtain, quietly and peacefully. We just  stick our heads through the opening, took the fresh breath, curiously looking what's behind it and then we talked about what we had seen - without a fear of being prosecuted. We had seen a free world. People there were moving freely, speaking freely, they were living without fear and oppression. Everything was glittering over there... What a wonderful world it was. We wanted to be part of it, we could not wait, we wanted everything now, not tomorrow. We did not care about the Big Brother in Moscow getting angry because one of his children they captured after WWII was disobedient to his strict rules. The Big Brother was afraid that others will follow. He had to stop the mutiny before it's too late. He gathered all his obedient children and together they rushed in to shut the gate again. This time airtight. 

I jumped out of the bed and started thinking quickly. "It is impossible, it means war, the whole world is watching, it is the end of Russian Empire!" Down on the streets the tanks and army vehicles, full of soldiers were pouring towards Prague. It was cold morning and the soldiers were tired, they did not sleep the whole night, maybe many nights, and they would rather be at home with their families. One soldier looked up in the window and saw me there, still in pajamas. He was dirty, hungry, cold and far away from home. I was clean, at home in warm room, with food on the table.  I raised my hand and made a gesture that means: "You are crazy" (I clapped my forehead). He quickly took his gun with one hand and pointed it on me. I froze. Will he shoot? A soldier next to him took his arm and put the gun down. I realized that this is not going to be a game. One chapter in our history has ended and another one was about to be written. The characters will be distorted, twisted, colors changed and the true meaning disguised. And so will many people's characters.

Many years has passed since then, the world has changed, the Berlin Wall has fallen, the Soviet Union crumbled to pieces, there are no Russian soldiers in Europe, there is no threat from Russia any more, but is the world a better place? Is it safer? I saw the September 11, the World Trading Centres burning and falling down and I said to my wife that night: "The world will never be the same again."

It is year 2007. The world clock has moved to 5 minutes to twelve. Global warming is threatening the world. The worlds best scientists have issued a warning to stop increasing carbon dioxide contributing to greenhouse effect. The worlds largest rainforests are quickly disappearing due to timber logging or just to make way for new roads and cities. 1% of current world population owns 50% of world wealth and resources, while 50% of world population shares 2% of it... The gap between rich and poor is getting bigger. Money created this world. Money may destroy it as well.

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