In PLP we recently got the opportunity to meet a man named Helmut Lemke. He grew up in Germany and he is now an art teacher in Greater Vancouver, BC, but how he came to be an art teacher in Canada is an incredible story of Fear, Enemies, and a struggle for Power.

Helmut was born in Eastern Germany in 1926. This means he was seven when Hitler came into power, and thirteen at the start of World War Two. From 13 until 18 years old Helmut trained as a part of the compulsory Hitler Youth program. Upon graduation of the Program he had no choice but to join the German Army, as it was likely he would be court martialed and executed otherwise. He went on to tell us about his times on the front lines and how he was close to death countless times but still felt no hatred toward the opposing side. He talked about his time in a Prisoner of War Camp what he saw there and how his captors decided to use their authority.  His story touches on how being a hero or a villain is sometimes only one choice apart, and that the question: “what is the nature of evil?” does not have a straightforward answer. Helmut’s full story here.

 

Following this incredible opportunity to talk with Helmut Lemke and hear his story, Cashel, Tom, Teva, and I have created a full feature length discussion style podcast. While recording the podcast we touched on some of what we felt were the essential concepts brought about by Helmuts experiences. These concepts are all very discussable topics in themselves but as we went back and forth with our opinions and ideas we found that we kept circling back to the concept of the Nature of Evil. We found that the answer to “what is the nature of evil” might lie in the concepts of Fear, Enemies, and Power.