As a pedestrian in Berlin you won’t walk very far before you encounter an ampelmann (traffic light man).
The usual, perhaps universal, colors of these indicators are green and red.
On one of our sightseeing walks we happened upon a store that sold various items featuring, you guessed it, the ampelmann. T-shirts, mugs, caps, candy, and much more. For some, unexplainable reason, I was attracted like a moth to the ampelmann flame. I loaded up my shopping bag with an assortment of items. Been there, done that, have the t-shirt, cap, and mug.
My family jokes with me about having gone to a city so significant in world history, so rich in culture too, and my biggest takeaway seems to be the ampelmann 🙂 What can I say, I am enamored with it.
Wouldn’t life be simpler if we had a green ampelmann indicating the best time to move forward, or a red one to warn us to stop when facing significant decisions in life? And, how much easier would it be if the people we consider placing our trust in could be distinguished by an externally visible indicator like a solid green (trustworthy), or red (untrustworthy) color?
If only there had been a red ampelmann standing in the way of the masses who “crossed the street” to join arms with one of most infamous leaders in world history. The beautiful city of Berlin holds some valuable lessons acquired through tremendous human suffering. I will share some of my thoughts in the next post.