The God Particle and Dark MatterPeriodical 15 // JANUARY 2017

THE WRITING ON THE WALL

It’s schizophrenic.
Most people don’t like changes for themselves.
But when it comes to politics, the desire for change is growing every day.

It no longer matters in which direction – as long as it is change. People are so frustrated with the political elite, or with the elite in general for that matter. People don’t feel that the elite understands or even cares about their fears and concerns. All that suddenly matters is to get away, to get away from Europe… Brexit, and to get away from Clinton and Washington…Trump.
Don’t you also have this nagging feeling inside swelling that something, anything has to happen? Rationally, of course, we know that most of the time when a political bomb explodes things most certainly get worse. But emotionally, the status quo is so unnerving, fatiguing and no longer bearable. Let’s worry about what comes after…next.
Merkel IV…really? Of course she is moderate and brings stability, but for how long? She keeps blowing up her “nothing has to change” bubble. As with every bubble, it will burst, that’s for sure. The real question is how big do we want the bang to be? One assumption is that Merkel is not going to change anymore. She’s not going to use her next term to really take on all the big issues of the world, Europe and Germany. To me, Merkel IV just doesn’t feel right! People are longing not only for change, but after the terror in Berlin, people want emotions. She cannot deliver! Germany just has been lucky for a long time. There has been no capable extremist leader – not on the left, not on the right. But in another four years, who is most likely to bring forward an emotional leader? A leader who grasps the hearts of the people? A charismatic populist on the extreme could have a field day with three big targets: foreigners, technology and YOU. Let’s take technology as an example. Most business leaders still say digitization won’t just take away jobs but that it will generate new, creative jobs. But obviously, all these business leaders are doing is undermining their reputation as “not to be trusted.” They argue with terrifying short-sightedness. They bluntly sweep under the carpet the fact that there will be far more losers than winners.
There will have to be a massive redistribution of wealth. But has the elite realized that proactive measures are much more preferable to violence and war? And even if technology is used to create prosperity for all, how do we ensure a meaning for each and all?