Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end

When the Nazis came for the communists,

I remained silent;

I was not a communist.



When they locked up the social democrats,

I remained silent;

I was not a social democrat.



When they came for the trade unionists,

I did not speak out;

I was not a trade unionist.



When they came for the Jews,

I remained silent;

I was not a Jew.



When they came for me,

there was no one left to speak out.



--Martin Niemöller

I ran into my very first best friend 11 years ago last night. Wow, cue the surprise. It was weird speaking to him again as its been as if he and I have the same roots and yet we are such different people from how we were 11 years ago (of course). And yet we're still very much the same.

He has grown in his confidence though, and his aura is that of a man now. He is no longer the child I traded Archie comics with and read stories with and played imaginary games with. We reminisced about how much we have grown apart and yet we did not lie and claim we missed each other.

We drifted obviously over the years and we meandered through the crazy teenage angst and adolescence without each other, even the college years passed by without much of a connection. No, a lie. We met. WIthout much fanfare, 4 years ago. It was so painfully awkward that I couldnt believe he was my best friend when I was a child who punched a bully for me and made his nose bleed. It was hard to connect the child he was with the strange 16 year old I met. He seemed so cold.

He was completely changed and I left the meeting with a heartache and wanted to cry.

But a few years on, he seems to have turned out alright. Much better, in fact. An intelligent sensitive kind of guy, fun and interesting.

I am conceited.

And I like to think I had a part to play 11 years ago.