History now

I have often wondered how people perceived life during the 1930s.

I wondered how people felt when politicians like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were voted into power by a popular, democratic vote.

I wondered how they watched, one by one, the foxes being appointed to guard the hen house, as the dictators appointed their henchmen.

At what point, I wondered, did Himmler, Heydrich, Goebbels and Goering become household names, representing the will of the people?

How did it feel, I wondered, to slide, eyes open, voluntarily and consciously, into a social and political morass where ethical and moral standards no longer have any meaning?

Unfortunately, I am now beginning to understand and no longer need to wonder.

This is exactly what it feels like.

This story was originally published December 31, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "History now."