The inspiring Alice von Hildebrand,
now at age ninety-one
I participated in a webinar organized by the Hildebrand Project. It was a live conference that took place yesterday with Alice von Hildebrand, the widow of the late Dietrich von Hildebrand. I tuned in for the hour-long conference at 6pm via telephone, since I couldn't get my webcast to function. The webinar was for those who had bought the recently released book by Dietrich von Hildebrand, My Battle Against Hitler.
Prior to the webinar, I had sent an email with two questions to be asked of Mrs. Hildebrand. But I also typed one of the questions on the side bar of the webinar page.
Of the undoubtedly many questions presented to the webinar, mine was one of three that was asked (probably typing it in on the webinar page also helped)! What a wonderful honor!
Below is my question, and what I've transcribed from the notes (many times paraphrasing) I took during the webinar. As soon as (or if) the podcast, youtube or any other form of the conference is made available, I will post it here.
My question that was asked during the webinar:
How did Hildebrand take his exile in America? Was he the "American immigrant" who starts afresh, and loves his new country, becomes more American than the American? Or was he always disappointed that he had to leave his beloved Europe, and live in such a distant country (both geographically, culturally, and historically)?Hildebrand's response (which I have paraphrased, taking notes as she was speaking):
He discovered the genius of the people of any country where he traveled or lived. Italy, Hungary, Spain, Czech Republic. In the United States, he found a great kindness and generosity amongst its people. At no time did he make as many friends as with the American people.She then talked about Hildebrand's "universalism" and his lack of any kind of prejudice.
He was the most unprejudiced person I have ever met.I think she meant by this (in conjunction with her statement before it), that since Hildebrand was able to see the "genius of the people of any country," he judged them, or observed them, within those constraints, and didn't make comparisons across the board. In other words, he was not a universalist, but a nationalist. Of course, being a victim of the Nazis, she would find the word "nationalist" difficult to deal with, as did Hildebrand.
Another question dealt with the objectivity of moral values, and how one can describe aesthetic values as also objective.
Question by second participant:
It is easier to show the objectivity of moral values than aesthetic values. How can we show the objectivity of aesthetic values?Hildebrand's response:
All of us can see "good and evil" and distinguish between the two. But aesthetics is very different. The beauty in the music of Bach, Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart is clear to those who have a sensitivity to music, or who have (usually because of that sensitivity) studied music. An untrained/uneducated ear has a hard time appreciating this music, let alone sitting and listening to it. It is the same in art (paintings).Question by third participant:
But there are those now who say "I prefer Rock and Roll." It is Plato in Book IV of the Republic who wrote that moral decadence begins with music. And Kierkegaard said that vulgarity is always popular because it doesn't force you toward your best.
People need to be educated on the arts, to distinguish the excellent from the decadence-inducing. We need to get our children very early, and teach them the arts, to appreciate and understand these great works of art, music or otherwise. I am a great believer in education.
St. Benedict said "We need a conductor."
By this he meant that we need a leader. We need cultural leaders, spiritual leaders, and of course, above all, our leader in God the Father.
As well as fighting evil, what was Hildebrand fighting for?Hildebrand's succinct response:
Truth.She continued that:
He fought Nazism using the Austrian bulwark against Nazism.Hildebrand is using "bulwark against Nazism" quoting from My Battle Against Hitler, where the book's editors wrote in the introduction to the chapter Austria and Nationalism:
[Hildebrand] was glad he could conduct his opposition to Hitler from Vienna, the Austrian capital, since the multinational structure of the old Austrian Empire of the Hapbsburgs, he said, secured Austria against nationalism. He felt he was calling Austria back to its multinational roots and to its true identity, when he urged it to become a bulwark against German nationalism [My Battle Against Hitler, p247]I have to add here that although Hildebrand sees nationalism as some kind of evil, she is basing this on the Nazi ideology of National Socialism. She most likely understands (as her husband understood after the demise of Hitler and the Nazis) that it is multinationalism, or globalism, the ideology of our era, which covers up or even eliminates national genius. And she praises this national genius in her speech as she eloquently describes how her husband could see the "genius of the people of any country," or nation.
[Full video (or transcript) should be posted at the Hildebrand Legacy website, which I will post as soon as it becomes available.]
Next event is a Livestream discussion:
Hildebrand Against Hitler
SCHEDULE
Wednesday December 3, 6:00 p.m. EST.
Franiscan University of Steubenville professors John F. Crosby, Kimberly Georgedes, Jonathan Sanford, Patricia Donohue, join founder and director of the Hildebrand Project, John Henry Crosby, to present the story of Dietrich von Hildebrand’s heroic fight against the Nazis, recently published in the book, My Battle Against Hitler - See more at: http://www.hildebrandproject.org/events/hildebrand-vs-hitler-panel-discussion-livestream#sthash.R4ZfUH3g.dpufInformation about registering for the Livesteam here.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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