Vlasta Macháčková

“Originally, I judged people for giving into it, for being spineless, so to say. But most of them did it to protect - the parents to protect the children, so they could study, and [the parents] themselves to keep their jobs. Because as soon as you diverged just a bit, they either locked you up, or they suspended you from places such as that of university teacher, and they forced you into the working class. And the interesting thing was that it was the same as during the Protectorate, even this second state of things, excuse me for calling it so, I hope no will mind... we were the Protectorate of the Soviet Union. And you could feel that everywhere, in every culture, in the political transformation. There were also people who [collaborated] for their own benefit. Both under Hitler and under Socialism. They were servile. I think those people lost their spines in some way one day and never found them again.”

“You know, Sokol was something that was really uplifting for everyone. The feeling that you’ve got some kind of responsibility, that you have to be honest, fair, and yet humble. That was our upbringing, Tyrš and Masaryk, truth, truth, truth... and to be responsible not just for yourself, but also for others. The fact that we called each other sister and brother was very uplifting for us little ones. The others took it as a matter of course. I must make special mention of that 10th All-Sokol Rally. That was something spectacular! It was the year thirty-eight. Things were at boiling point. All over Europe. A raging Hitler was making fools of his nation. Until he completely fooled... stupefied... fanaticised them. Everything was hanging by a string, and we didn’t know whether it would take place until the very last moment. Even when we were already gathered at Strahov. It was really beautiful, but I can tell you we had goose bumps all through it. But that was an experience never to be repeated. We wanted to show we weren’t afraid, that we’d give them a fight, that we wouldn’t just let someone hurt us, our country. We were great patriots, that feeling of loving your country, loving your own country, your president, loving even your representatives, and respect everyone, honouring them, that was something amazing, and there and then we felt it the most, it was within us, we were charged, dynamic, I would say, all of us... all of us.”