Swastika?

Lord Voldemort was great. Evil, but great.

- Ollivander the Wandmaker

Greatness is not something that should be equaled with goodness. No. As Rowling correctly points out here, one can be great and at the same time as evil. It is not the nature of your deeds that certify greatness but the magnitude.

Adolf Hitler was one such person.

A leader (or a dictator if you wish), an orator unrivaled, a believer. In something very wrong, yes, but believer nonetheless.

A horrible person I agree. Most people would probably cringe at the thought of finding anything positive about a man so despicable, but I did. I refrain from saying it out loud, as I’ve noticed it is not much appreciated. But I want to. Not to defend him, please don’t misunderstand. Just to understand.

Most importantly to learn. Not learn from him, learn about him. Actually know, how could a person single handedly bring about a World War? What went on in his mind when his minions were killing children and raping women? What could possibly lead him to believe that what he was doing was right? How could a person change the very meaning most ancient and one of the most holy symbols to an emblem of hate and death?

He didn’t only believe. That’s not his greatness. Not the least. He assumes the powerful position he has come to hold in my mind, because he made everybody believe. He convinced millions of sane human beings to irrevocably believe in his cause. A cause in the shape of such inconceivable cruelty; even after so many years it causes shudders. A cause which left a wounded religion and a bruised country behind. A cause which made a proud nation come down on its knees after the delirium was over. But they still haven’t recovered. The blood hasn’t staunched yet. The memories haunt still. How did he mange this?

How could one help but wonder about the perpetrator of it all? About how extraordinary a mind and will such a man must possess? One thing I have unfailingly read everywhere is the magic of Herr Hitler’s words. The spell he could weave with them. When he spoke you just had to listen and nod at what he was saying. When one reads his autobiography - Mein Kampf – one can almost get lost in his tale. One has to continuously remind himself of the pile of massacred bodies to not lose perspective.

This book is not to be read for enjoyment, not for literature, not even for information. This book is to be read as a guide. Of what to be and what not to be.

Hitler was not a good man. But we can still feel the heat of the power he radiated. In a sense, Hitler had what most of us who struggle with our blogs want to attain. He had the power of expression with him. A man who first used this very weapon to control all and then, only then annihilate. He had a warped and twisted mind, but he was clear about what he wanted to achieve and half of the world combined couldn’t stop him.

Sometimes I can’t even explain to myself about this raving fascination with Hitler. I am clear about the fact that I don’t admire him about his ideologies or principles. It’s just something I can’t explain.

The capsule of power, the clarity of thought, the power of words. Maybe that’s what I want to learn.

Not a thing more.

PS: This post is purely based on personal views. It’s not meant to offend anyone.