I know Partha Sarati from the youth bus tour days when he came to join us in the summer of 2008. An American who now lives in the Netherlands, he is retired from the forces in Iran. They were tough years.
He heard I was in Holland and came to join me on a walk by the canals and windmills. He’s a fun guy, but reminds you of the struggle and the ugliness of war. We lunched at Ritam’s apartment, and then he went about his way back to be with his daughter.
In the evening, I was driven to another town for kirtan, prasadam, and discussion on Krishna and His might in dealing with the forceful wind, Trnavarta. Our visit to Prataparudra’s home was cut a little short. It was imperative that we meet our next appointment, and that that was for fulfilling a long-time dream to see the hiding place of the Frank family during Nazi occupancy in Amsterdam. Intriguing! All but Otto did not survive the concentration camp.
This world-famous place is, luckily for us, open until 10 pm. We had one hour to absorb what it was like for the Jewish community, and innocent people in general, to have to go through such duress. Anne Frank ‘s diary of the two long years that she and family friends endured became a world-renowned read. The Secret Annex where two families remained hidden is a well-maintained museum of the time of their exile.
War is a nasty thing, and it is something that no one really wants repeated. Yet, it goes on with human vices like greed and anger to trigger it. It was the first visit for four of us to be informed more intimately of the nature of the beast. Our day was not over. We rushed back from Amsterdam to Alphen for our weekly Gita Zoom chat. For us it was 11 AM and 5 PM EST. We discerned all we could about overcoming war-like life. Chapter 18.64 was the verse. We are nearing the end.
Source https://www.thewalkingmonk.net/post/going-to-anne-s-place
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