Those of you that are Facebook friends with me will have seen I was in France with the family last week.
We did a day stopping at a couple of WWI sites between Calais and Paris, a day in Paris, two days at Disney and two days in Normandy.
The first WWI site we stopped at was the Canadian National Memorial at Vimy Ridge (I’ve got something to share about that tomorrow and, on Wednesday, an insight to walking round Disney all day).
And the second was Compiegne.
I’d vaguely heard of Compiegne being the location where they signed the treaty that marked the end of the first World War.
What stopped the fighting at “the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”.
I knew there was some sort of “carriage in a clearing”.
It turns out that it was a railway siding where the two sides had arranged to meet that was near Paris but out of the city itself.
After that war, the site was turned into a museum with the carriage as it’s centre point.
All very interesting, of course.
But it was what happened 22 years later that fascinated me.
When the French were to surrender to the Germans on the 22nd June 1940, after the invasion of France, Hitler insisted on returning to the same spot the 1918 Armistice had been signed in an act of “ultimate revenge”.
And that’s not all.
He had people sent ahead to demolish the museum wall and push the carriage out to the same location – now sitting on top of a large memorial stone bearing the name of Marshal Ferdinand Foch (Commander of the Allies at the end of WWI).
Hitler arrived, sat in Foch’s seat, witnessed the signatures of the Armistice and left.
All without saying a word.
He then had the carriage (and some other bits) removed and taken to Berlin.
And the rest of the museum, gardens and site systemically destroyed.
Except the giant statue of Foch which overlooked the area and was left to “watch” the destruction.
“Wow” I said to my wife.
“Hitler in being a savage shocker”.
“He must have been absolutely buzzing at that point” she replied.
Which got me thinking.
I can’t say I’ve ever given much thought to things from Hitler’s point of view.
But he would’ve been.
Based on what he felt and believed and thought to be right at that point, that’s a result and a half for him.
I’ve definitely become a lot more empathetic over the last few years.
More understanding of other people’s behaviours.
Not necessarily condoning (especially not in Hitler’s case so no one needs to reply with any suggestion that I am).
But understanding.
Realising that people are doing what they think is right, under the circumstances as they see them.
That they’re usually doing their best with what they’ve got.
That they’re doing things “for them”.
Not “to me”.
It’s very freeing.
Realising it’s “their thing” and not ours, frees up more energy and mental capacity than you’d imagine.
When we spend our time thinking that other people “should” (or “shouldn’t”) behave in a certain way…………
That things “ought to be” different……….
That “people need to” XYZ…………
Arguing with reality.
It’s draining.
None of this means we need to just let things go.
To allow stuff that we’re not ok with.
But when we can accept that other people’s behaviour is their thing, not ours………..
That they’re doing it “for them” and not “to us”………….
That some things are just what they are…………..
We can concentrate our energies on changing what we can change.
And building confidence and momentum from that! (it’s www.myrise.co.uk/apply if you like the sound of confidence and momentum rather than just renting access to gym equipment)
Much love,
Jon ‘Eddie’s mum’ Hall
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RISE in Macclesfield was established in 2012 and specialise in Group Personal Training weight loss programmes for those that don’t like the gym and find diets boring and restrictive!
