In the Global Struggle - an Insight and the Conclusion

After the end of the Second World War, the people of Europe had a clear need: to live in peace. The horrors and endless suffering of war had created this longing in people, indeed made it huge. The advantage of large needs: They lead to a corresponding motivation to meet these needs. This is how there was a post-war Europe huge collective driving force. This was followed by the longest and most stable phase of far-reaching peace and unprecedented prosperity in European history!

In doing so, these two aspects, peace and prosperity, have reinforced each other: Peace created security, the basis for trust and the development of stable structures. These, in turn, are which the decisive basis for the creation of prosperity, because they enable trusting cooperation between the actors in a society and in doing so reduce costs (of uncertainty).

In return, the resulting prosperity has given people further security, which in turn is the decisive ingredient for (social) peace.

Overall, a duality of structure and process, to put it with the English sociologist Anthony Giddens.

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Success breeds failure

However, all of this also has another, unintended and usually unseen consequence. Success breeds failure: Success breeds failure. Success is rated as something positive and is often attributed to one's own abilities (because this also feels good in terms of positive self-experience). This applies to people individually as well as to entire societies.

In doing so, we like to overlook two aspects that have absolutely nothing to do with our abilities: coincidences and external factors. Both play a role in every action — and are therefore always co-causes of success. We very rarely take these two aspects out of our personal track record. Successes simply do not inspire reflection. Instead, we're happy to see how great we are.

Unconsciously and unseen, a certain comfort (and sometimes arrogance) creeps in, as we can so perfectly suggest to ourselves that we have everything under control and that nothing can happen to us. The result: laziness. And then recklessness in action and blindness in observing emerging dangers. Success breeds failure.

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There are now very good reasons to attest to just such a development in Europe, in two respects.

First, the centuries of conflict with the final of the Second World War have taught us that fighting each other will only lead to ruin in the long term. As a result, Europe switched to cooperation — and was rewarded with the same prosperity that we all know — and enjoy. However, it is precisely this that has blinded us to the fact that there are people or systems who do not have this experience and therefore think and act differently. They do not think in the category of cooperation as we do, but in the category of conflict and opposition. And this also in a belligerent way, as has been brutally demonstrated to us in Ukraine for the past three years.

And secondly, part of the truth of European prosperity and decades of peace is that there was a significant (if not decisive) external factor: the contribution of the USA. First by establishing peace through victory over fascism — and then by helping with reconstruction, particularly in Germany. And since the latter is one of Europe's economic engines, this has had a corresponding impact on the development of the whole of Europe.

For a very long time now, we have taken our success and prosperity and peace for granted — and rely on it without reflecting that this is neither entirely our achievement — nor is it guaranteed to us.

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Long story short: In Europe, we cultivate a spirit of cooperation that is understandable from our history, but does not represent a sufficiently viable (appropriate) view of global reality. And we do this with the self-image that we have worked this out alone, that we deserve it — and will remain so. Success breeds failure.

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution (a European!) teach us, however, that species that are not viably adapted to their environment can be threatened. So what to do?

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Stop lamenting — let's get into action

“Insight is the first step towards improvement” is the German saying. So let's open our eyes — and above all: our heads! Let's broaden our horizons: The world's players are not all looking for the good and are not all followers of cooperation. And none of what we have is self-evident or guaranteed. We are much more likely to find ourselves in a perpetual and global struggle, which must be fought if we want to preserve our achievements. We may find this a shame. Or threatening. Or unfair. Or all of them together. It may make us angry (including the statement about it). We may therefore want to cover our eyes and ears — or indignantly reject the statement. However, this will not change the fact. Nothing at all.

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So let's finally get honest and understand that it's exactly a single actor who is responsible for our concerns and well-being: ourselves! No one else. And yes, that also means in practice: Each and every one of us, because Europe is not an abstract entity, but rather the sum of all of us! That also means: Let us finally stop playing victimhood and the unspeakability of always seeking responsibility from others (politicians are welcome here). Stop complaining about injustices and the like. Once again: It is up to us — and each and every one of us!

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It is very helpful if we focus (again) on another European “invention” in concrete action: that of the good old strategy in the style of Prussian General Carl von Clausewitz (another European!). Let's see who ours Troops are where they stand and above all what we can and what are our capabilities are! And yes, also what we are not good at and what opportunities we have to cover these weaknesses. And also look at who we are facing — and what their strengths and weaknesses are, and how we can use this to our advantage. Let's learn (again) to stand up for ourselves and our interests and to handle this strategically!

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In short: Let's finally take action — instead of always staring at others like a rabbit at a snake!

No, it won't be easy — and it won't be done quickly. But: We have an excellent opportunity if we use what the recipe for success in recent decades has been: good cooperative cooperation with a clear common goal: a strong, prosperous Europe. Let's go!

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