LOVE GERMANY

I recently read that Germans are often their own biggest critics. Whether in parliamentary debates, talk shows, editorials or at regular tables, pessimism and fear of decline are being spread everywhere, a country in decline that is no longer up to the challenges and is on the verge of collapse. We all know the reasons for this bad mood; the ideology-driven immigration and climate policies of the last few years have actually placed a heavy burden on the working population in this country. Well-intentioned is also beside the point, it occurs to me – but who is helped by all this complaining? We know that over time you can get yourself into a negative spiral that is difficult to get out of.

But if we change our perspective, then we can find a number of good reasons to love Germany even today, I continued reading. So the first look back into the past, into a country of inventors and scientists, from whose creations all people around the world benefit to this day: with Gutenberg’s printing press, Zuse’s first computer based on a binary number system, the “X-radiation” by Conrad Röntgen as a revolution in medical diagnostics and Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, only a few have been named. Carl Benz’s invention of the first car in 1885 still moves the whole world today.

In Germany we have 25.000 castles and palaces and 52 world cultural heritage sites. With an estimated 90 billion trees, crossed by countless hiking trails, the German forest is both a myth and a magnificent recreational area. Our country has produced titans of music, literature and enlightenment such as Bach, Goethe and Kant. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, along with Schiller’s “Joy of the Beautiful Sparks of the Gods”, is Europe’s anthem at official European Union events.

Behind China and the USA, Germany is the third largest export nation in the world, our country still delivers quantity and quality at the same time, “Made in Germany” is still THE seal of quality today. German cars are still considered the best in the world. International companies such as Tesla and Intel build production facilities with us. WE are the country of medium-sized businesses, 99% of all companies are small and medium-sized businesses.

With more than 80 million overnight stays by foreign guests, we are among the top ten most popular travel destinations in the world. Only the English-speaking USA and Great Britain are even more attractive host countries for students. Our capital is crowded, loud and crazy, but it continues to magically attract tourists from all over the world with its museums, clubs, stages and the famous Currywurst (!). The German passport guarantees us almost unlimited freedom of travel.

We can be proud of German reunification; hardly any other country has achieved this so peacefully. And when 102-year-old Margot Friedländer, one of the last survivors of the Holocaust, finds the strength after all the horrors of the past to return to her hometown of Berlin and act as a contemporary witness, free from hatred, with the aim of ensuring that history does not repeat itself , I see this as a role model and also as motivation to overcome the major crises of the present.

There is no question that climate change, war in Europe and refugee flows present us with major global challenges today. However, the previous state mission, with a mix of world salvation and instruction, has failed; most people in their own country no longer support it. The new era demands political leadership with clarity, wisdom, prudence and strength. This is the only way we can remain capable of acting and being a role model at the same time.

In this sense

Ernst-M.Ehrenkönig · CEO & Managing Partner