inspiration//

helmut

 

Being with Helmut you will finally believe that today is the best day of your life, and tomorrow will be even better.

 

 

Germany, 1931.  The country was facing an economic and political abyss. The government was on the brink of bankruptcy and pursuing fierce austerity policies. Public employees were taking huge pay cuts and taxes were drastically increased. The economy was in a slump and unemployment rates were exploding. People were fighting each other on the street while banks collapsed and international capital was drawn out of the country.  Two years later Hitler would be in power, eight years later the second world war would begin.



In Munich, a newborn baby boy looked up from his crib to adoring parents who were looking at their firstborn with pride and joy. The boy decided to send up a steady spray, his first life affirming adventure in a world soon to be shaped by adversity and immorality.



The story of Helmut's life is representative of Jewish life in the 20th century.  Where he came from and what forces molded him reflect the education and fulfillment of a pioneering man who largely invented the rules of life as he went.  A central paradox of Helmut’s life is that he is simultaneously the ultimate establishmentarian and an adventurous man.  This self-taught entrepreneur ran his business with infinite attention to detail, a passion for perfection, and a ferocious drive to succeed.  And yet this guardian of ethical standards for work and human relations has colored his life with a whimsical desire to explore the world, understand how things work, and share his enthusiasm and humor wherever he goes. 



Helmut can explain why the Greater Blue Mountains in Australia are blue.  He can can tell you when a strip-tease show is considered art and when it is pornography.  He can convince you without a shadow of a doubt that the best way to beat out competitors in any business is to know more about your product and more about your client’s needs than anyone else.  And in a world where belief in God’s presence and concern for humanity has been searingly tested, Helmut stands as a beacon of faith.  There is no better example of his commitment to Judaism than the radical amazement with which he lives every moment of his life.  As the great Jewish thinker Abraham Joshua Heschel once stated, “Wonder, rather than doubt is the root of all knowledge." 

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This book offers glimpses of life’s adventure through the wondrous lens of Helmut Wellisch.  In the course of many hours of conversation with me, Helmut shared his stories with verve, vivacity, and of course, great precision.  His tale is filled with lessons about character, leadership, values, and love of family. Mostly, a lesson in how  to live with spark and sparkle.