It’s natural to feel dismay at scenes of devastation, but what about hope? Cologne was about 75% destroyed in WW2, yet it’s still here, still wearing silly costumes at Karnival time, and telling really bad jokes to bad music. The amazing Cologne Dom still pierces the clouds. As bad as the world’s conflicts are, there’s always hope — to rebuild, and go on living.

Here was Cologne on April 24, 1945, view taken by the US Department of Defense (now public domain).

Here’s Cologne in 2010.

(Photo: Neuwieser, Wiki Commons 2.0)