First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Martin Niemöller

We’ve all heard at least part of the saying before. Some of us even knew that Niemöller was the one who said it. Most – including myself until a moment ago – probably don’t know that Niemöller originally supported the Third Reich. That was until he met Hitler in 1934 and realized that his organization was under surveillance by the Gestapo.

That’s a heck of a wake up call. But it’s easy to see when we’re looking back into the past – we already know what a horrendous travesty the Third Reich was. However, Niemöller couldn’t have known that as he walked out into the cold January morning 86 years ago. He just knew that the cause he believed in and supported when he walked in wasn’t what he thought it was.

It would have been so much easier to just explain away the Gestapo’s actions as ‘security measures’. After all, Germany was just shy of two decades from an ignoble defeat and only a year out from the collapse of the Weimar Republic – surely it was understandable that this new, pro-German government would be more security conscious?

And besides, Niemöller had believed that this new leader was exactly what Germany needed – wouldn’t it be okay to let love of country outweigh love of freedom?

At the base of both of those arguments is the underside of the human condition – we just flat out don’t like to be wrong or give up on treasured beliefs. By itself, that’s not so bad – it’s the fact that we will irrationally cling to those beliefs not because we are convinced but just because we don’t want to be wrong.

We’ve all chuckled at the guy who, no matter how obvious it is that he’s made a mistake or how easy it would be to just admit it and move on, will insist he’s right until the bitter end – often with hilariously bad arguments and well past the point where anyone sane believes him. It’s funny when it happens to someone else – and it’s funny mostly because we are all well aware that next time we may be that guy.

It’s easy to see other people’s mistakes and know where they went wrong. It’s not nearly as easy to see our own. And it’s harder than heck to admit a mistake when it is something we believe passionately.

Throw in a biased media that’s happy to spoon feed you just what you want to hear and 2021 isn’t so very different from 1934. Just like then, people are coming to the realization that there is something wrong with what they have been told. It’s easy for those who already realized to be critical of those who are just coming around – or who aren’t – but we shouldn’t be. It’s normal to resist changing beliefs – it can even be healthy in moderation – and it’s very hard to admit that something you believed in is bad.

The important part is that you arrive at the destination – not that you were a little late to the station.

Those folks who are just now getting to the station are important – we need all the open eyes we can get in this battle for freedom in the free world. Don’t worry about how late they are – it only matters that they have come around.

I don’t know how long it took for Niemöller to fully come around back in 1934 – but by May he and others had established the Confessing Church and he began to preach in opposition to the government. By 1937 he was incarcerated and in 1938 convicted of crimes against the regime. He would spend the next seven years in prison.

Make no mistake, Niemöller wasn’t a saint. Few of us are. But if we wait for only saints to step up, there won’t be anyone to step up. The point is, however late to the party or shabby his waistcoat, Niemöller did come. He did speak up when it wasn’t safe – and paid the price for it. The party might have gone on without him – and there are certainly things he left this life wishing he’d done a LOT better – but he left a lasting impact because he came.

I see a lot of hope in the darkness that is descending on this world – because people who have lived in sunshine might not be bothered by the passing cloud but they won’t accept the darkness. It’s people – not governments and corporations – that matter and it’s people who can and will change things.

They just have to come to the realization that things need to change – and come to grips with the pain of having been mistaken. Once they do, welcome them to the sunlight – we’ve got work to do and we need all the hands we can get.