William Penn Life, 2009 (44. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2009-10-01 / 10. szám
[y j Tibor s Take The lessons of 1956 The Revolution of 1956 takes up little more than a sentence in my world history textbook. Nineteen days, thousands of lives and one nation’s struggle for liberty—it is all summed up in one sentence. My classmates are worse. When discussing Communism, the conversation turns to the evils of Joseph McCarthy. They are ail dumbstruck when I bring up the violent stand in Budapest in 1956. I cannot really blame them. For anyone born in the 1980s and beyond, the Soviet Union, Communism and the evils that came with it are nothing more than a distant spectre in the remote past. Even now, young people find that Communism is nothing to fear, and among some, it is now the fashionable political ideology. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I thank my God, my parents and countless other American-Hungarians for maintaining my education. There is only so much that is taught in schools. My extended family has taught me many things, two among them are a love for Hungarian culture and a sobering knowledge of history. Because I am an American-Hungarian, I am afforded a perspective that few teenagers ever receive. I have had a chance to hear history from those who lived it. My late great Aunt Jenny visited Hungary during the Cold War. I remember her telling me about the suspicion, the apprehension, the eyes watching every move the Americans made. I listen to many Hungarians who fled oppression and danger and settled here in America. I hear the stories of friends who went missing, the lack of food and creature comforts and the government’s control in every aspect of life. This education of mine has been priceless, and it is one I could never have if I wasn’t a Hungarian. It is an education that all teenagers need to have, especially American-Hungarians. A knowledge of history can sharpen the mind. It forces you to think critically, to question, to wonder. A knowledge of this kind of history can help you understand events in your own time, in your own country. Hungarians have been natural Libertarians. Fresh from the steppe, the Magyars had to carve out an existence in a strange and new land. Centuries later, while the Italians enjoyed the Renaissance and England fretted about the Spanish Armada, Hungarians were fighting and dying to keep the Ottomans at bay. Hungarians have chafed under the yoke of foreign despotism, longing to enjoy their land and their freedoms once again. Left to our own devices, we are industrious and creative workers. When our country and heritage is threatened, the ancient blood of Magyar warriors surges within us. We Hungarians always fought for liberty. Hungarians fought with George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Hungarians commanded armies to free the slaves during the American Civil War. Hungarians have been at the front of the line, ready and waiting. In all reality, when we pause and remember the fight for freedom this month, we are not just remembering 1956. We are remembering 1848, 1541, 1241 and 1000. We remember what it is to be Hungarian. We appreciate the fact that here, the forces of tyranny have not stopped us from writing, speaking, worshiping or living. It is important for us to remember, but especially those youngest among us, that being an American-Hungarian is more than an appreciation for goulash and csardases. We all have an obligation this month—teach our youth the significance of the events of Oct. 23 and, of course, to remember 1956. Éljen a Magyar, Tibor Tibor Check Jr. is a member of Branch 28 Youngstown, Ohio, and a freshman at Cleveland State University. He also serves as host of the “Souvenirs of Hungary” weekly radio show broadcast on WKTL-90.7 FAI in Struthers, Ohio. 6 William Penn Life, October 2009
