WEBVTT
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[WERE WE RAISED TO BE SLAVES?
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The domination of the nursery is the
greatest political concern in order to be
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able to rule over people who then grow up.
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[CAN WE FORCE PEOPLE TO WAKE UP?
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How do I have to shape my message so that people join in?
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My first response is always, forget that.
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You can't get people through the messages.
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They have to go through their own experience.
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They have to experience pain themselves.
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Division is a principle to prevent protest movements from
achieving exactly that, namely to bundle
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around one person and make the protest capable of
winning a majority and capable of governing.
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The more people focus on the essential conflicts, the less
energy is wasted and suffering caused in these petty wars.
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This can actually happen relatively quickly and even
seamlessly by a few people joining forces here and there.
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Change begins with a simple question.
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What can we do?
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This was precisely the question at the heart of the Freedom
Barometer 2025, which I conducted together with the A-WEF.
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An online survey in which more than
an incredible 22,000 people took part.
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22,000 people who have given a clear answer.
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They have had enough.
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Enough of political paternalism, enough of media
manipulation, enough of an undermined democracy.
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The will to stand up against this is
great, but the blockades are just as great.
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We really want to know.
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What paralyzes peaceful protest and what is
needed to finally turn frustration into movement?
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So I continued my search and I found answers.
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Dear viewers, you are about to
hear concentrated expertise.
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The essence of more than 10 hours of
interviews with seven renowned academics.
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From the historian to the
psychoanalyst to the communication scientist.
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Top-class experts in their field who shed light
on our key issues from different perspectives:
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Seven courageous people who ask uncomfortable
questions and give equally uncomfortable answers.
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Those who question and who stand up for change themselves.
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They raise their voices.
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And together we have held in-depth discussions on how
we can succeed in joining forces for a better future.
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How we can be strong together against division,
corruption, lies and propaganda, against tyranny and
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war. And for peace, freedom, humanity and honesty.
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Even if we don't agree on everything,
there are common goals that unite us.
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And that's exactly how it will
be for you too, dear viewers.
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Because you have also switched on to find
out how dissatisfaction can become change.
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What hurdles there are, what opportunities
there are and what you can contribute yourself.
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And I can tell you: if you ask yourself
these questions, you've already taken a big first
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step. Because change starts with yourself.
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The individual is far more powerful
than they often think of themselves.
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The domination of the nursery is the
greatest political concern in order to be able to
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rule over people who then become adults.
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Most people are alienated from themselves.
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Through upbringing, through relationship mistakes,
that they can't become the way they are meant to be, the
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way they want to develop, but the way they have to become.
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In the end, however, most children
manage to adapt to expectations.
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Adaptation as a survival strategy, as
Dr. Hans-Joachim Maaz describes it.
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Something that many people learn very early on.
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Whoever meets expectations gets recognition.
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If you blend in, you won't stand out.
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And you are often even rewarded for it.
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This pattern can work for a long time.
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Some people get through life well with it.
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It becomes problematic when something changes.
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When the world becomes more
uncertain, when old rules no longer apply.
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When social upheavals shake up your own world view
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When the old adaptation behavior no longer feels right.
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Then, a crisis can occur.
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Something should actually happen at this point.
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You have to look inwards, deal
honestly with your own history.
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But that's exactly what many
people avoid because it hurts.
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Because it calls into question
everything you've built your life on.
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Instead of changing something, many
remain conformist - even as adults.
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Even when they have long felt that they are dissatisfied.
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From his therapeutic work, Dr. Maaz reports
that some people even become ill because they
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have bent and lied to themselves for years.
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And now comes something that many may be familiar with.
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When people start to release this
pattern, they often feel better inside.
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But it becomes more difficult on the outside.
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Relationships are changing.
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Tensions arise.
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This is generally very often the price
you pay when you start to see clearly.
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Something that many of the critical people who
woke up today had to experience first-hand.
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And this conflict doesn't just
affect adults, but children too.
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Because what happens when parents try to be
honest with their children, when they encourage them
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to be themselves and question things critically?
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Then these children often end up in
conflict, says Hans-Joachim Maaz.
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A conflict between what they experience at
home and what school and society expect of them.
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Basically, as parents we only have the chance to raise our
children in such a way that they fit into a
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dysfunctional, normopathic society or we treat them
more humanely, more honestly, more openly.
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Then the children have a big problem in
achieving success in a normopathic society.
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That's a tough finding.
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Parents are faced with a dilemma.
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If they adapt their children, they have a
better chance of keeping up with the system.
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If they raise their children openly, honestly and
critically, it often becomes more difficult for them.
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Harder in a school, harder in society.
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A tragic contradiction and one that needs to be discussed.
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In particular, how parents should really deal with this
dichotomy in order to ultimately achieve a free society.
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Whether the solution is really
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I for my part, at any rate, dare to doubt that it
lies in educating children to be dishonest and to act.
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So we see that the root of evil, conformity,
subservience and the inability to stand up for
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one's rights often lies in childhood and youth.
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If you have never learned to stand up for yourself,
you will also find it difficult to do so as an adult.
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Resolving all this is crucial if we want an
enlightened, responsible and autonomous society.
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But it's not something that can be done overnight.
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What can be changed immediately, however, is our
own behavior towards our fellow human beings.
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Right now.
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And that brings us to another big topic.
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All those who have managed to break out of
conformity and go through life independently, autonomously
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and courageously have a great gift within them.
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Clarity, courage, personal responsibility, the
ability to question and stand up for yourself.
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With this gift, they can also help others, those who
can't yet get out of their skin but perhaps want to.
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But this requires community,
exchange, support and networks.
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Because, as the saying goes, we are only
strong together. And yes, that's exactly how it
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is. Alone, you often come to a standstill.
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The Freedom Barometer 2025
shows that many people feel alone.
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They would like to get more involved,
but they lack community and cohesion.
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And the survey also clearly shows
that many recognize the following.
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The division, deliberately driven by the media and
politics, prevents a common impact for common goals.
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Political scientist and democracy researcher
Professor Ulrike Guérot is also clear about this.
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Division is a principle to prevent protest movements from
achieving exactly that, namely to bundle
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around one person and make the protest capable of
winning a majority and capable of governing.
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Division is no coincidence.
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It is an old principle of domination: divide and rule.
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Something that has been used for several millennia.
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Today it's left versus right, vaccinated
versus unvaccinated, woman versus man.
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The division, the opposition, is everywhere.
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Leading politicians and their media are sowing
discord, stirring things up against each other, working
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with contact guilt, dividing the good and the bad.
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Most likely precisely so that the people
cannot unite, be strong together for higher
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goals that would actually unite the many.
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Peace, freedom, a just world, a good life for all.
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In order to work on this together, a dialog
would be needed, but this is being prevented.
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Instead, we get caught up in petty trench warfare, says
communication expert and psychologist Dr. Roman Braun.
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According to him, all our energies should
be wasted there, in these trench wars.
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We are supposed to be distracted while the real
machinations that really harm us happen in the background.
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When people realize that the opponent
is not the other citizen, but the
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mechanisms behind it, then something changes.
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Then there will be room for real action again.
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Division weakens.
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This is not only evident today, but also in history.
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The historian and philosopher Professor David Engels
points out that resistance always needs community.
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Without a common "we", protest remains ineffective.
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He talks about civil revolutions from times gone by,
which will hardly exist in the same form today because ...
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Such elements of resistance, of revolution, naturally
also require a correspondingly solidary civic community
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or mass of the people, or whatever you should call it.
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The other problem, however, is that most of these people in
Europe no longer recognize themselves, because they
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are so fragmented by identity politics and migration
that there is no longer any natural solidarity.
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When people no longer feel connected, it
becomes difficult to stand up for something together.
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If everyone is only fighting for
themselves, there is no power for change.
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And that's exactly what we often experience today.
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Values are what holds societies together,
what makes them strong and unites them.
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Values are also what sustains people, what gives them
orientation and what makes them willing to take risks.
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Professor Engels says clearly: without higher values that
point beyond one's own life and personal happiness, hardly anyone
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will stand up for goals such as peace, freedom or justice.
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At least as long as he is not directly affected himself.
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He currently sees this as a central problem when
it comes to protesting against current injustices.
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Many people still live too comfortably to
leave their comfort zone, especially when their own
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well-being is considered the greatest good.
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It is precisely then that the willingness to
risk it for overarching goals is lacking.
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For the Christian Professor Engels, the cause of
this deficiency lies above all in a lack of faith.
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The problem is that in a society in which there is no longer
any real absolute truth and in which one's own life is actually
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seen in a very materialistic way, in which people no longer
believe in a truth, no longer believe in God, no longer believe
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in an afterlife, no longer believe in absolutes,
but actually only see their own little local
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life as the most important and absolute thing.
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In such a situation, we naturally have little reason to
actually take to the streets, to sacrifice
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something, to sacrifice comfort, perhaps to
sacrifice our own lives for a higher purpose.
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Of course, an unjust regime can go quite
far before people take to the streets.
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At the same time, people's solidarity has been broken up by
mass migration, identity politics and family disintegration.
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Even the family is now fragmented.
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This means that there is actually very
little left, at least on the part of
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Europeans, that is worth fighting for in any way.
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As long as your life is reasonably
comfortable, you often stay put.
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Comfort makes you calm. And that's part of the problem.
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Professor Engels puts faith in God at the
center when he speaks of higher values.
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Human beings can, of course, also be supported by other,
overriding values that motivate them and give them strength.
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It is crucial that we only leave our
comfort zone if we want to achieve more in this
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world than simply maximizing our own happiness.
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Social scientist Günter Roth points to a similar core.
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He puts it matter-of-factly: those who only weigh up
whether protest is worthwhile rarely become active.
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But many would do exactly that.
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They decide whether to take action
based purely on a cost-benefit analysis.
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And it is often more worthwhile to stay still.
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And it's also true, as we know from experiments on helping
behavior: The more people watch, the more people see a problem
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or an accident, the less likely it is that someone will help. 15:42.639
The greater the likelihood that
everyone is waiting for the others.
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Unfortunately, we are oversaturated and we
also live in an extremely affluent society.
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Many come to terms.
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Others are withdrawing.
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Others emigrate.
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Protest is postponed or abandoned altogether.
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Political scientist Professor Ulrike
Guérot also sees this as a major problem.
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She talks about retreat and flight as the main
problem when it comes to the question: Who actually stands up?
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I think the bigger problem instead of
protest and the ineffectiveness of protest is
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almost this tendency towards privatization.
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I'm exhausted, I can't take any more,
it's no use. We're not getting anywhere.
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Yes, many people are discouraged. Many
emigrate out of fear of what is to come.
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Others take their protests abroad because
they fear personal consequences at home.
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This fear of individual disadvantages
generally prevents many people from expressing
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themselves publicly or getting involved in any way.
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A problem that communication
scientist Michael Meyen also addresses.
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Mayen puts it clearly.
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It is labeled. A label is stuck on those
who protest or simply question critically.
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They are maligned and they are belittled. So
that we don't find out the following truth:
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Yes exactly, there are many of us.
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Much more than we think.
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Because those who stand up against injustice, who
warn and point out lies, are deliberately kept down.
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This makes their number appear smaller, their
influence weaker and their value lower than it actually is.
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However, this perception corresponds less to
reality and more to the result of successful propaganda.
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Young people in particular are put off by this.
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Those who still have a lot to lose and therefore
shy away from siding with the swearers or
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right-wing extremists or whatever other labels there are.
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Communication scientist Michael Meyen makes
it clear: there is potential for protest.
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It's not small either, but it's unevenly distributed.
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We know roughly that this protest
potential is a third of the population.
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We also know where this protest
potential is based or lives.
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It tends to be an older clientele, a more rural clientele.
Rather not successful entrepreneurs. No one who is still
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dependent on receiving anything for free from the state.
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When in doubt, young people risk everything.
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We know this from the history of the revolution.
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It was always young people who brought about change, because
they were prepared to risk a lot for a very long life.
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This is more difficult with older people.
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It's much more difficult in the countryside.
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It is particularly difficult when you know that power - where
it is determined how reality is to be interpreted -
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is now in the university cities, in the big cities,
and not where there is more potential for protest.
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And on top of that, the reinterpretation
of history would discourage young people.
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If we look into the past, we see that everything
that happened before 1933 is now being labeled as the
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prehistory of National Socialism in Germany's dark past.
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This makes it difficult to refer to positive
things from the centuries, the years before.
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The Germans, for example, are constantly being
told that such-and-such a revolution is useless.
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Every revolution in Germany has failed.
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Not true at all, if you take a closer look at things.
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If you look at the 1848 revolution in its long-term
effects, if you look at the 1918 revolution, the sailors'
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uprising; if you look at the '89 revolution in the GDR.
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In the narrative, in the narratives about this
revolution, however, the important things are suppressed.
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If I am not told that the revolutions seem to have failed at
first because the revolutionaries were not prepared to resort to
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the last resort - namely simply killing
their opponents - but instead opted for
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negotiations, for normal human interaction.
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If I'm not told that, then I don't understand
why the revolutionaries of 1848 were either dead, fled
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to America or disappeared into insignificance.
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And then there's something else.
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People are told that they alone
are part of a crazy minority.
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This works by simply not showing protest.
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This prevents others from joining in. And also that a
public discourse on the criticized topics arises at all.
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For political scientist Ulrike Guérot, it is therefore
clear that protest can only be effective if it is visible.
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However, this is often not the case.
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Especially not when protest displeases the ruling regime.
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It is therefore often not
because there is too little protest.
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The problem lies primarily elsewhere.
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In other words, I think we
actually have a lot of protest.
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The problem is that the protest is going nowhere.
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The protest does not seem to be articulated somehow, that
legislation is changed, that resignations are made, that trust is
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restored. In other words, that somehow measures are being taken
where people can then also see: The protest has borne fruit.
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That is, my question is not
whether we are demonstrating enough.
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My question is: where is the protest?
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That's my first question. And it
doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
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And the second question is:
Which protest is the good protest today?
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Because we basically have a landscape of opinion
that is fundamentally divided. And in this respect, we
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already differentiate between protest as good or bad.
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For example, when we have protests like last
year - everyone against the right - then that's good
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protest. It's shown everywhere, in all the media.
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But when, as recently in The Hague, for example, there
were really, really big protests against Gaza, against
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the genocide in the Gaza Strip, then that is not shown.
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We also have the question: Which protest will be shown?
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In recent years, we have a situation
where protesting as a disturbance of public order
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is also prohibited by law, so to speak.
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And that is why the protest is
becoming increasingly quiet.
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The situation in science, the field in which
knowledge is created, is similar to that of protest.
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Knowledge on the basis of which politics, medicine
and ultimately society as a whole make decisions.
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But here, too, only certain narratives are permitted.
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Different research approaches are often
discredited by framings such as right-wing extremist or dubious
22:31.306 --> 22:34.400
and thus rendered untrustworthy from the outset.
22:34.400 --> 22:39.892
But there are also colleagues here who say,
no, we no longer need the controversy
22:39.892 --> 22:44.759
requirement for some things, such as climate change, yes.
22:44.759 --> 22:52.030
And I found that quite interesting, because this colleague on
climate change then said that he would like to take a factual
22:52.030 --> 22:56.599
analysis first to show that this is not controversial at all.
22:56.599 --> 23:05.880
So now, naive as I am, I thought: Okay, he's going to
present some climate data or climate correlations there.
23:05.880 --> 23:07.400
But he didn't at all.
23:07.400 --> 23:14.371
He took a study that shows that in Europe,
climate change is mainly questioned by radical
23:14.371 --> 23:18.160
right-wing or far-right parties, so to speak.
23:18.160 --> 23:24.559
And therefore, because they are
unconstitutional, they should not be dealt with.
23:24.559 --> 23:33.920
So if something like this is even taken seriously as
a scientific statement, then we have a real problem.
23:33.920 --> 23:38.359
Many hold back. Many prefer to say
nothing. For a variety of reasons:
23:38.359 --> 23:45.799
This can be caution, or fear, or
insecurity, or simply a lack of options.
23:45.799 --> 23:47.839
Ulrike Guérot takes a similar view.
23:47.839 --> 23:50.599
She also says it can't go on like this.
23:50.599 --> 23:53.880
Protest must become louder. And it needs to get bigger.
23:53.880 --> 23:57.759
Because only then would we have a chance of it being seen.
23:57.759 --> 24:02.983
In other words, what we are talking about is that
citizens want to express their displeasure and that
24:02.983 --> 24:05.960
this displeasure translates into political change.
24:05.960 --> 24:12.200
And that simply doesn't happen anymore.
Neither via online protest nor via analog protest.
24:12.200 --> 24:15.799
Now the question is whether this is
still the right form of protest.
24:15.799 --> 24:17.440
The answer is actually no.
24:17.440 --> 24:20.519
And the question would be: Where
could one then start the protest?
24:20.519 --> 24:25.400
Of course, other radical forms of protest could work.
24:25.400 --> 24:27.200
I'm going to say general strike.
24:27.200 --> 24:29.519
For example, that we don't want to go to war.
24:29.519 --> 24:36.079
Other forms of protest could of course be to
withdraw from things on an individual level, so to speak.
24:36.079 --> 24:38.880
The only thing I can say is that they are very expensive.
24:38.880 --> 24:43.236
You have to be very committed. You have to do
a lot of research to say: I won't go there, I
24:43.236 --> 24:45.839
won't pay for it. I'm not going there anymore.
24:45.839 --> 24:49.880
I don't know, I don't buy from
Amazon. I only pay with cash now.
24:49.880 --> 24:55.880
So of course you can do all that. And these
are very specific personal denial strategies.
24:55.880 --> 24:59.519
But the real question is how long you can keep this up.
24:59.519 --> 25:03.739
In this respect, I think these are the
forms of protest: Demonstrations, general
25:03.739 --> 25:06.559
strike, individual protest on a small scale.
25:06.559 --> 25:11.640
How can we get as many people as possible to participate?
25:11.640 --> 25:18.212
Many believe that the right message just needs to be
communicated correctly, that the lack of willingness
25:18.212 --> 25:22.200
to participate is primarily a communication problem.
25:22.200 --> 25:25.000
False indication, says Michael Meyen.
25:25.000 --> 25:27.799
It was about something completely different.
25:27.799 --> 25:32.960
This is a question that is almost always the
very first thing I am asked as a media researcher.
25:32.960 --> 25:37.359
How do I have to shape my message so that people join in?
25:37.359 --> 25:40.759
My first response is always: Forget it.
25:40.759 --> 25:44.880
You don't get people through the messages,
they have to go through their own experience.
25:44.880 --> 25:50.559
They have to experience pain themselves, they have to realize
that something has to change so that they feel better.
25:50.559 --> 25:57.200
You won't get people to do things that you yourself
believe need to be done with communication messages alone.
25:57.200 --> 25:58.759
This is a problem.
25:58.759 --> 26:03.460
It's also a problem because we know that
the life cycle requires a certain amount of
26:03.460 --> 26:06.319
time before you can have such experiences.
26:06.319 --> 26:10.079
Until you experience that you are
hitting walls, that you can't go any further.
26:10.079 --> 26:17.151
In my research, I have always asked what leads to one person
ending up on the protest side and the other
26:17.151 --> 26:22.799
person financing the Antifa or standing with
grannies against the right or similar groups.
26:22.799 --> 26:28.635
And it is always an experience that clashes with the narrative
that is disseminated via the state media or
26:28.635 --> 26:33.400
other educational channels, universities,
schools, adult education centers, museums.
26:33.400 --> 26:35.319
It has to be a personal experience.
26:35.319 --> 26:38.519
That takes time, especially when you're
young, when you're still trying to get in.
26:38.519 --> 26:39.839
I wouldn't judge young people at all.
26:39.839 --> 26:41.519
They have to build their own lives first.
26:41.519 --> 26:43.319
They also have to adapt.
26:43.319 --> 26:45.680
They have to try to get into a position.
26:45.680 --> 26:49.519
And then at some point they will find out
that things might not work out for them either.
26:49.519 --> 26:54.200
You have to be patient and work
less on the design of the messages.
26:54.200 --> 26:58.039
This mandatory vaccination would have been
something that would have gone into the body.
26:58.039 --> 27:04.880
And people were ready, regardless of the communication,
every Monday - even when the weather wasn't good.
27:04.880 --> 27:09.559
So it literally has to be up to
the people, says Michael Meyen.
27:09.559 --> 27:13.920
Much more than a little pinch in the wallet.
27:13.920 --> 27:19.240
It really has to be something that
threatens your existence, your life.
27:19.240 --> 27:22.759
Only then are many people ready
to leave their comfort zone.
27:22.759 --> 27:28.359
The only problem is that by then it can often be too late.
27:28.359 --> 27:33.160
David Engels is also skeptical when it
comes to broad resistance among the population.
27:33.160 --> 27:35.039
The citizens are too lethargic.
27:35.039 --> 27:39.759
Many did not want to play an active role in
shaping things, but preferred to let them happen.
27:39.759 --> 27:47.160
In the end, history teaches us, a few
will once again decide the fate of many.
27:47.160 --> 27:52.200
In the end, another elite will
prevail and drive change forward.
27:52.200 --> 27:57.714
In Professor Engels' view, we need to
move away from the idea of fundamental,
27:57.714 --> 28:01.559
grassroots democratic change on a large scale. 28:05.119
The historian also cites the
coronavirus era as an example.
28:05.119 --> 28:08.599
Other than Michael Meyen, however, as a negative example.
28:08.599 --> 28:15.960
David Engels says that, overall, the system has got
away relatively well with its authoritarian approach.
28:15.960 --> 28:22.920
Even if there was resistance, it was
limited in relation to the overall population.
28:22.920 --> 28:26.480
Only a few would have actually rebelled openly.
28:26.480 --> 28:29.240
The saying goes: strategy beats mass.
28:29.240 --> 28:33.799
It's not necessarily about reaching more
and more people or motivating new ones.
28:33.799 --> 28:36.359
Much more important is something else.
28:36.359 --> 28:42.400
Those who are already prepared to fight for
a better future today should unite better.
28:42.400 --> 28:48.680
They need to pursue a clearer strategy and
become more capable of acting together.
28:48.680 --> 28:54.440
David Engels thus clearly contradicts
Ulrike Guérot's view on one point.
28:54.440 --> 28:59.799
She says: protest movements must become
bigger and, above all, more visible.
28:59.799 --> 29:07.680
Michael Meyen points out, however, that motivating people to
protest is extremely difficult, especially through messages.
29:07.680 --> 29:10.759
In the end, the decisive factor is your own experience.
29:10.759 --> 29:12.279
Where are the similarities?
29:12.279 --> 29:15.319
What can we build on?
29:15.319 --> 29:16.599
The first point is clear:
29:16.599 --> 29:20.200
Change begins with ourselves, with the individual.
29:20.200 --> 29:23.480
However, many people have never
learned to take responsibility.
29:23.480 --> 29:29.160
They have learned to meet
expectations, avoid conflicts and adapt.
29:29.160 --> 29:34.799
And yet - there is great potential
in our countries, because they exist.
29:34.799 --> 29:36.079
People with higher values.
29:36.079 --> 29:41.319
People who live self-determined lives, who
take responsibility and who build bridges.
29:41.319 --> 29:43.920
And here I am with David Engels.
29:43.920 --> 29:45.799
We don't need the masses.
29:45.799 --> 29:48.039
There is no shortage of people.
29:48.039 --> 29:50.599
There is a lack of connection.
29:50.599 --> 29:52.359
Change does not start with the masses.
29:52.359 --> 29:54.079
It starts with the individual.
29:54.079 --> 29:57.680
So the question is: what can
the individual do in concrete terms?
29:57.680 --> 29:58.440
Here and now.
29:58.440 --> 30:01.232
This is exactly what the outlook is all about.
30:01.232 --> 30:07.463
[OUTLOOK: WHAT TO DO?
30:07.463 --> 30:09.640
Many people want to do something.
30:09.640 --> 30:10.720
The will is there.
30:10.720 --> 30:13.440
What is often missing is direction.
30:13.440 --> 30:20.263
So the first step is not to ask how we can get
more people to get involved, but rather: What can
30:20.263 --> 30:24.200
those who are already willing to do actually do?
30:24.200 --> 30:29.119
I also asked the numerous interviewees in the
course of this documentary the same question.
30:29.119 --> 30:36.119
And the result was five concrete measures
that everyone can implement immediately.
30:36.119 --> 30:37.279
Measure 1:
30:37.279 --> 30:40.880
Build communities and network
30:40.880 --> 30:43.599
Besides patience, my second piece
of advice is actually networking.
30:43.599 --> 30:45.359
This is an important point.
30:45.359 --> 30:48.200
The milieus have found each other. The
protest milieus have found each other.
30:48.200 --> 30:55.559
There are groups all over the German-speaking world that meet
regularly, that work on content, that have come together.
30:55.559 --> 31:00.031
Even if it's only because they are concerned with nutrition,
because they are thinking about how they can design their
31:00.031 --> 31:02.359
garden in such a way that they can provide for themselves.
31:02.359 --> 31:10.194
These structures must be kept alive in order to be ready when
an opportunity arises to be able to implement
31:10.194 --> 31:17.480
what is central for many, democracy to have a
say in the conditions under which one lives.
31:17.480 --> 31:21.279
What we have to do is build from the bottom up.
31:21.279 --> 31:31.174
This is fundamental, that we must not put all our cards on
politics, but: We must first rebuild this resilient civic civil
31:31.174 --> 31:36.319
society from below, which can also defend itself against it.
31:36.319 --> 31:42.759
Measure 2: Speak your mind The second concrete measure
that everyone can implement immediately is: Speak your mind.
31:42.759 --> 31:50.279
Disseminate information and support
independent media, because information is everything.
31:50.279 --> 31:51.559
Information is the key.
31:51.559 --> 31:56.880
You only have to look at what the other
side is doing to control information.
31:56.880 --> 32:04.359
Whoever can define today, whoever can determine today
what we all perceive as reality, has power, can rule.
32:04.359 --> 32:10.398
So we have to help our fellow human beings to get out of the
bubbles that have been produced by the
32:10.398 --> 32:16.319
consciousness industry, which are supported in many
ways, if you look at this whole NGO complex.
32:16.319 --> 32:22.476
So people who are paid from taxpayers' money
to reinforce messages, to get messages across
32:22.476 --> 32:25.720
to people that they find in the state media.
32:25.720 --> 32:28.519
If you look at it, that's the way to go.
32:28.519 --> 32:36.440
So if you don't take a stand, you
have no chance of living in freedom.
32:36.440 --> 32:44.440
I found it very exciting that 'speaking your mind out loud'
is an important form of protest. And that's actually true.
32:44.440 --> 32:51.532
If you take communication theory, especially Elisabeth
Nolle-Neumann's theory of the spiral of silence, then this
32:51.532 --> 32:55.680
is a means of breaking up processes of standardization.
32:55.680 --> 33:00.347
This theory of the spiral of silence says that
humans have a fear of isolation, that this is our
33:00.347 --> 33:03.200
greatest fear, to be excluded from the association.
33:03.200 --> 33:10.350
If the leading media report consistently over a long period of
time and I disagree, then at some point, according to
33:10.350 --> 33:17.759
this theory, I will stop speaking out publicly because I
have to worry about being excluded from the association.
33:17.759 --> 33:22.720
But out there on the street, I see people
standing at stalls who have a different opinion.
33:22.720 --> 33:27.039
I'm listening - I suddenly heard
something else from the next table in the pub.
33:27.039 --> 33:29.480
In the train compartment, people
were talking quite differently.
33:29.480 --> 33:32.880
There was someone sitting on the
beach with a Kontrafunk towel.
33:32.880 --> 33:35.880
So obviously there are opposing positions after all.
33:35.880 --> 33:39.799
This then encourages people who would
otherwise not dare to speak their mind.
33:39.799 --> 33:46.599
So I find it very exciting that this has obviously been
recognized by the people who took part in this survey.
33:46.599 --> 33:50.480
Measure 3: Define your own and common goals Unfortunately,
the third concrete measure is often overlooked.
33:50.480 --> 33:52.640
At the same time, it is crucial.
33:52.640 --> 33:54.559
Even if it is not easy.
33:54.559 --> 33:58.839
It's about defining your own and common goals.
33:58.839 --> 34:03.799
Because if we don't know where we want to
go, what we are fighting for and not always
34:03.799 --> 34:06.799
against, then everything ends in chaos.
34:06.799 --> 34:12.665
Without clear goals, there is no strategy,
no bundling of forces and no convincing answer
34:12.665 --> 34:15.840
for others who ask why should I participate?
34:15.840 --> 34:20.599
If you can't say what you stand
for, you can't take anyone with you.
34:20.599 --> 34:24.960
So there is a threshold from
thinking and feeling to acting.
34:24.960 --> 34:28.079
The saying often goes that the journey
is the reward, which is almost true.
34:28.079 --> 34:31.960
So we need a goal to get an idea of a path at all.
34:31.960 --> 34:34.199
When I have the goal, I know, ah, this is the way.
34:34.199 --> 34:39.000
And then we need the way to have the courage to set out.
34:39.000 --> 34:41.599
We need an idea of the path.
34:41.599 --> 34:46.239
So I come from the goal to the path and
from the path I come to the departure.
34:46.239 --> 34:48.440
And there is no way.
34:48.440 --> 34:50.360
The people see no way.
34:50.360 --> 34:52.960
So they say you're looking for a way out, right?
34:52.960 --> 34:55.280
There we are. So we are searching for the way.
34:55.280 --> 34:58.639
And if the path is not clear, I don't need to set out.
34:58.639 --> 35:00.559
I don't need to get up.
35:00.559 --> 35:02.400
And the question is also whether the goal is clear.
35:02.400 --> 35:04.199
The goals must also be clear.
35:04.199 --> 35:05.599
This is also an important point.
35:05.599 --> 35:13.320
It must be an easily achievable - not easily
achievable, but a concrete achievable goal.
35:13.320 --> 35:18.199
Not against hunger or poverty in
general, but very specifically.
35:18.199 --> 35:22.292
Measure 4: Self-reflection The fourth
concrete measure that each individual can implement
35:22.292 --> 35:24.880
immediately is one that is very unpopular.
35:24.880 --> 35:26.679
To reflect on yourself.
35:26.679 --> 35:28.880
Something that many people don't like to hear.
35:28.880 --> 35:30.679
I know there will be an immediate backlash.
35:30.679 --> 35:34.239
What does all this have to do with me?
35:34.239 --> 35:47.101
If I start by looking at myself, what is my part in the
conflict or in the unhappiness that I am experiencing, I actually
35:47.101 --> 35:53.400
have the best, but perhaps only, chance to change something.
35:53.400 --> 36:00.046
So with the realization about my part, about
myself, I have a chance to do something
36:00.046 --> 36:05.960
different with myself, to change, to develop myself.
36:05.960 --> 36:09.559
I basically have this power over no one.
36:09.559 --> 36:15.519
Measure 5: Take action Let's now move on to the fifth and
final measure, which everyone can implement immediately.
36:15.519 --> 36:18.719
And that is acting, yes, acting.
36:18.719 --> 36:20.480
No matter what - but start with it.
36:20.480 --> 36:24.400
Because you experience self-efficacy by doing it yourself.
36:24.400 --> 36:30.039
Taking action gives us strength and hope
because we can see how things get moving.
36:30.039 --> 36:35.880
We see that we can make a difference as
individuals. Even if it is often only on a small scale.
36:35.880 --> 36:44.119
But every contribution counts. Even if
it's just about being a role model.
36:44.119 --> 36:49.119
Our freedom is much more than putting a cross in
some voting booth once every four or five years.
36:49.119 --> 36:57.000
Our freedom lies in the fact that we must live according
to our ideals at every moment, with all the consequences.
36:57.000 --> 36:59.800
And that ultimately means
36:59.800 --> 37:01.119
To become a role model.
37:01.119 --> 37:03.239
Becoming a role model for yourself.
37:03.239 --> 37:05.480
Becoming a role model in front of his family.
37:05.480 --> 37:07.320
Being a role model for those around him.
37:07.320 --> 37:11.906
Practicing every action in such a way that you
can look yourself in the mirror in the morning and
37:11.906 --> 37:14.320
say, yes, I am living according to my ideals.
37:14.320 --> 37:18.320
Yes, this world I live in is perhaps suboptimal.
37:18.320 --> 37:20.079
It may even be dystopian.
37:20.079 --> 37:22.679
Maybe I'm risking a lot with this.
37:22.679 --> 37:25.920
But I live this freedom in my individual life.
37:25.920 --> 37:32.941
I think that only when a significant number of people
actually come to want to become role models
37:32.941 --> 37:40.760
themselves, to live what they want society as a whole to
become one day, only then can progress be made.
37:40.760 --> 37:43.119
And that is of course the important step.
37:43.119 --> 37:46.000
We should be who we are and act as we are.
37:46.000 --> 37:52.960
Not because we hope it will have any impact on history
or politics in general, but because we believe in it.
37:52.960 --> 38:00.086
And that's why I think that this hand attitude Etiam si omnes
ego non, even if everyone else is doing
38:00.086 --> 38:06.199
something, I'm still not going to do it, is the
action or is the attitude that we need.
38:06.199 --> 38:10.119
To behave the way we want to, out of conviction.
38:10.119 --> 38:16.039
And even if we know that everything is doomed to fail,
even if we know that we are the only ones to do it anyway.
38:16.039 --> 38:20.540
From conviction, because it is our way, because
we believe that what is important is not something
38:20.540 --> 38:22.920
that will somehow be written in the history books.
38:22.920 --> 38:29.926
And if we then actually have citizens and, above all,
politicians who are role models themselves,
38:29.926 --> 38:36.280
who are personally what they want society to
become, then change is actually possible.
38:36.280 --> 38:39.119
And it doesn't need the many millions now either.
38:39.119 --> 38:47.396
Often all it takes is a personality who can really be a
genuine role model, where many people can say to themselves,
38:47.396 --> 38:51.679
I want to be like that one day, that change is possible.
38:51.679 --> 38:53.679
Think of the Middle Ages alone.
38:53.679 --> 38:59.960
What have people like Bernard de
Clairvaux or St. Benedict not achieved?
38:59.960 --> 39:08.637
By starting to found a monastery under their own steam, they
actually brought about the entire spiritual rebirth of
39:08.637 --> 39:16.880
the West and were therefore role models for generations
and centuries of people who wanted to do the same.
39:16.880 --> 39:22.799
It doesn't take millions of people to all
become like that. It often only takes one person or a
39:22.799 --> 39:25.920
small group to transform an incredible amount.
39:25.920 --> 39:32.639
But even that is apparently
very difficult today, as I said.
39:32.639 --> 39:34.039
But we have to get there.
39:34.039 --> 39:36.719
This is a matter for the individual.
39:36.719 --> 39:40.280
Yes, the individual can make a huge difference.
39:40.280 --> 39:47.039
Only by the fact that he is, that he
acts, is seen, relates to others.
39:47.039 --> 39:52.599
We ourselves cannot even imagine how much
each and every one of us actually achieves.
39:52.599 --> 39:58.863
We don't know how many people we have
become role models for in our lives. How few
39:58.863 --> 40:03.039
words have often led to great developments.
40:03.039 --> 40:09.840
Yes, we need other people in our lives. But no, we
don't necessarily need them to change the world.
40:09.840 --> 40:13.960
We can start now. Just for us alone.
40:13.960 --> 40:15.519
Then it's David against Goliath.
40:15.519 --> 40:18.039
We know that David will win in the end.
40:18.039 --> 40:19.800
Yes, David wins.
40:19.800 --> 40:28.400
And if you look closely at the story of David and
Goliath, we can see some parallels to our time.
40:28.400 --> 40:31.719
David did not try to fight like Goliath.
40:31.719 --> 40:34.920
He put on no armor. He didn't take a sword.
40:34.920 --> 40:37.639
He didn't go into hand-to-hand combat.
40:37.639 --> 40:41.679
David realized he would lose on this field.
40:41.679 --> 40:43.599
So he did something else.
40:43.599 --> 40:49.400
He used what he could, what he was
used to. His slingshot, his agility.
40:49.400 --> 40:51.760
And he kept his distance.
40:51.760 --> 40:54.760
Then he seized the moment, one single one.
40:54.760 --> 40:59.199
He targeted the one spot where Goliath was vulnerable.
40:59.199 --> 41:01.920
And that's exactly what made the difference.
41:01.920 --> 41:03.440
David didn't hesitate.
41:03.440 --> 41:06.079
He didn't wait for better conditions.
41:06.079 --> 41:09.280
He acted when the opportunity presented itself.
41:09.280 --> 41:13.760
And perhaps that is precisely
the decisive point for us today.
41:13.760 --> 41:17.199
Change does not mean playing by the rules of the powerful.
41:17.199 --> 41:22.245
It means recognizing your own
possibilities, your own strengths and having the
41:22.245 --> 41:26.039
courage to use them when the moment is right.
41:26.039 --> 41:28.920
We cannot force the opportunity itself.
41:28.920 --> 41:35.920
But we can be prepared, clearly, awake.
So that we don't hesitate when she comes.
41:35.920 --> 42:16.139
43:08.400 --> 43:29.400