Posts Tagged ‘the nuclear age’
Aage Bertelsen (1901 – 1980) – Danish educator for peace
July 14th, 2014 | 
Author: By Jan Oberg & Johan Galtung*
Lund and Kuala Lumpur, July 2014
Introduction
He was a tall man and a great man, a visionary, pacifist, civil resister, educator and philosopher. He took life more seriously than most and he could be playful and fun like a child. His life’s guiding principle was ”Engage in your time!” and while he wrote and talked a lot he also did it. His name was Aage Bertelsen, he was born in Denmark in 1901 and died on August 15, 1980.
Bertelsen’s imprint on history is two-fold. First, with his wife Gerda he was a prime mover of one of the groups, the Lyngby Group, which organised the rescue of altogether 7.220 Danish Jews into safety in Sweden in October 1943 during the German occupation of Denmark – more here. The Lyngby Group – Lyngby is north of Copenhagen – got about 1.000 of these in safety by organising their nightly transport onboard small fisher boats over the Sound between Denmark and Sweden.
In this he deserves a place in international contemporary history for its humanity, civil courage and as an example of non-violent struggle against occupation.
Secondly, Bertelsen was an educator of and for peace. His life work educational efforts included his family and friends, his pupils over 22 years at the Aarhus Cathedral School in Aarhus, Denmark, the general public as well as national and international leaders.
He lived in pre-Internet times and very little is publicly available today about this renaissance man. From two rather different, but compatible, perspectives we’ve taken it upon us to remind the world about him – friends and colleagues of his as we happen to be.
Headmaster Aage Bertelsen in 1961 Photo: Elfeldt, Copenhagen
Why now, over 30 years after his death? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Abolition, Conflict and war, Culture, Culture & religion, Democracy - local & global, Denmark, Ethics and values, European Union, Foreign and security politics, General issues, Human rights and justice, Immigration & integration, Israel/Palestine, Jan Oberg, Johan Galtung, Migration and refugees, Military - technology, New books, Nobel Peace Prize, Nonviolence, Norden as region, Norway, Nuclear weapons, Peace, Political, Pro-peace & proposals, Psychology - war & peace, Reconciliation & forgiveness, Reflections, essays & more, Russia, Security and defence, Sweden, Terrorism, Theories and concepts, UN matters, Uncategorized, US Empire, USA, Violence-prevention, World order/governance | 
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