At a time when so many issues seem beyond the control of any one person, it’s important to remember that the institutions capable of changing the status quo are made up of folks like you and me. In other words, individuals can change the world by changing the institutions they drive and keep running. A teacher can reorient a school. An engineer can alter a company. An organizer can upend a community. That said, an individual’s efforts will only bring about collective change if that one person gives others opportunities to join them.
The importance of courageous contrarians and the collaborators they attempt to inspire to join them became all the clearer during my two-week tour of Berlin and Krakow with Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE).
On that trip, I learned about Lothar Kreyssig, a district court judge at the time of Hitler’s reign and an example of a courageous contrarian. Early in 1940, the Nazi regime launched Operation T-4, which involved the killing of individuals unfit and unworthy of Aryan race due to epilepsy, schizophrenia, asocial behavior, and “mental enfeeblement.” Many professionals--including doctors and lawyers--made those killings possible. Yet, Judge Kreyssig dared to steer members of the legal community away from perpetuating this system.
