Vandalism: Really. Not. Cool.

Generally my neighborhood in Zürich is quiet, with minimal disruptions. I live in the Seefeld section of Riesbach. As a result, disruptions — when they happen — really stand out: Like this, which happened early Sunday morning (22-Sep-2019).

Herr Zwingli! Wo ist dein Kopf?

The city is commemorating the 500th anniversary of the reformation in Zürich. Herr H. Zwingli (whose name still appears on many local streets and other parts of the Swiss landscape, including many prominent statues that are more permanent than the fallen installation in the picture above) was the driving force behind the reformation in Zürich.

The history of the reformation is interesting to me since I was raised in the Lutheran Church and I was taught many aspects of the reformation in Germany as promulgated by Martin Luther through his teachings. I am happy and fortunate to live in a place with so many connections to my childhood, since H. Zwingli was influenced so directly by Martin Luther.

I am not (yet) a permanent resident of Switzerland, nor a citizen (I still have a lot of German to learn before I can even contemplate either of those things!) but I felt very disappointed, sad, and somewhat angry at the disrespect that was dealt to this defenseless educational statue (with recordings in German, French, Latin, and Hebrew). I took this vandalism personally. It’s my neighborhood and I don’t want people damaging public property — or polluting the view with graffiti.

Let’s respect each other and quietly enjoy life in this beautiful city. We are all privileged to live here. As recorded in the Swiss Constitution, there are four primary principles cited in the Preamble that should govern life in Switzerland:

In the name of Almighty God! The Swiss People and the Cantons,

  • mindful of their responsibility towards creation,
  • resolved to renew their alliance so as to strengthen liberty, democracy, independence and peace in a spirit of solidarity and openness towards the world,
  • determined to live together with mutual consideration and respect for their diversity,
  • conscious of their common achievements and their responsibility towards future generations,
  • and in the knowledge that only those who use their freedom remain free, and that the strength of a people is measured by the well-being of its weakest members,

adopt the following Constitution […]

There is no excuse — whether or not you are Swiss…and whether or not you are a resident of Zürich — to treat public property with disrespect. It does not matter if you agree or disagree with the purpose of the statue! The statue represents the effort of other humans to respect their traditions and to educate people about them. This is a continuation of 500 years of history of this city and if you don’t want to participate in the reformation…you don’t have to. Liberty and openness imply that you are free to believe what you want, as long as you don’t infringe upon the rights of others to believe (and practice) their beliefs.

Even graffiti, which has been increasing of late, is a sign of disrespect to the community. Intentionally damaging public property is anti-social behavior and should be curtailed unless it’s an expression of free speech (in the case of the graffiti in Seefeld, it appears to be content-free tagging).

Vandalism can have a chilling effect on the full exercise of the rights of the people. If people don’t feel free, they won’t fully participate in the society. We all suffer when people feel oppressed.

When in Rome…

…or San Bruno, California. 🙂

I am traveling in California for a week. I have to say that I was very much not looking forward to it (mostly due to the 12-hour flight required to get from ZRH to SFO), even though I had previously lived in this part of the state for over 20 years. However, once I arrived I started to remember all the places that I used to go when I was here.

So it’s day-1: I’m having Breakfast at Buck’s. A picture is required. Or two.

The coffee cake here is really big. It’s delicious, too. And the coffee is never-ending for a $4 investment.

It so happens that it’s Super Bowl Sunday. This is the first full season of American Football since I have been living in Zürich, and I have to admit that I haven’t paid any attention to the progression of the season. I just happened to be here in America today, so I’ll see what happens. I am going to visit a good friend for the game. I brought chocolates from Switzerland (Sprüngli!).

The conversion is complete. I really do miss the big American breakfast, and the really good selection of beer (I will be going to the Pliny the Younger release on Saturday, before I fly home…) but for me Zürich is home now. I love it there and I can’t wait to go back.

Zürich is Beyond Dog-Friendly

My dog, Chester, loves it here. He can go to the lake, to the park and he’s welcome in most restaurants. This is a very dog-friendly city. The lake is so nice in the Summer, which in our first two years has been hotter than we expected. Chester isn’t built for heat — he has a thick coat and really loves cold weather; as cold as possible…

Chester at home after a walk in the snow

Chester took his first international flight on his birthday. He arrived and seemed to know immediately how to use the trams and buses. Now he has an international pet passport and is registered and pays his taxes. He’s a good boy!

Chester’s first experience with snow. He wasn’t impressed at first.

Two Years Ago

In 2016, I decided to move my family to Zürich, Switzerland, which happened for good at the end of April 2017. We really like it here. There is so much to see and do.

What I realized is that even though Zürich is awesome, as is what else I´ve seen in Switzerland (and nearby countries), I realize that I should have been doing this all along: Walking with my eyes open, enjoying where I am, and basically living as if I were a tourist. You don’t have to move far away to see new things.