Have we swapped places with the Gestapo?

During World War II, a sheepish young woman refused to say Hail Hitler or deny her faith.

For this defiant stand, her mother turned her over to the Gestapo, where she was summarily imprisoned.

Unlike the Jews who could not change their genes on the spot, all Heidi needed to do was recant, and she would have been instantly freed.

Heidi staunchly held her position in prison for two years.

After the war, there was a frenzy to punish the Nazis. So, authorities asked Heidi to point out her former prison guard earmarked for prosecution. Heidi adamantly refused to incriminate the guard. We’ll call her Frieda.

Later, Frieda, still unmarried, fell sick.  Heidi tenderly cared for her until she died.

Such love is the obvious main storyline.  Such unflinching and abiding love, based on principle, is rare and has been admired down through the generations until today.

Almost unnoticed is the backstory. It is easy to hate unreasoning fanaticism as displayed by the Gestapo. But after the war, had many only swapped seats with the Nazis?

Had the prevailing wave of hatred and fanaticism against the “enemies” become equally blinding and unreasoning as was the case with the Nazis?

Who dared to look through the haze and find reasons to show a mature and reasoning love?