Brotherly Love
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Sitting at the gate in the departure lounge of an airport recently, I took a look at the expressions on my co-travellers' faces. Admittedly it was 7 am local, 4 am in Germany and a twelve hour flight was awating us. The sun was shining, clear blue skies, a fantastic mild day but the impression that the mainly German passengers made told a different tale.
Possibly tired, having to leave so early; probably. Maybe a few didn't get the seats they wanted for this long flight; possibly. Or perhaps they didn't want to leave this little paradise; could be.
But I've seen these expressions in other climates, at other hours, in other airports at varying distances too.
So what if the lack of euphoria goes deeper? What if a desire to stay is, in fact, a desire not to return home? What if Germans don't particularly like Germany? What if, dare I say it, Germans don't like other Germans, their brethren?
The most striking impression a foreigner receives upon arriving in Germany is the lack of smiling faces and a certain indifference on the streets. Why might that be?
As someone who has lived in Germany for three decades, and has called it home, I question whether an underlying distrust or scepticism of others may create this impression. Or is it just a case of waiting until someone else makes the first move? Or a little of both?
Those that watched the Soccer World Cup here saw and felt a very, very different Germany. Those that watched from afar were shown images of a super friendly, welcoming country and it's people. Individually more reserved, a society-wide spirit of togetherness with mass outburst of emotion seems mostly to arise by decree; the Carnival period in the mid-western region secures a similar atmosphere.
But Germans are currently not too happy. An extended period of denial to the facts in German government has thrown state finances into turmoil. And persistent citizens' refusal to question how the country can afford its social state has kept most Keynesian policies alive.
Following the more recent shock of reality however, many now face further years of diminishing standards of living and lowered self-esteem. In spite of the current minor turn-around in the economy, the German way is proving also to be flawed. And the quest to dish out blame for the misery being incurred is now as strong as any emotion surrounding more positive matters.
The soul searching continues as ever in this command civilisation. Let's not forget though, the wonderfully peaceful society we all enjoy here is partly thanks to an extremely low level of anarchistic tendencies.
So the wait for somebody such as a football player or soccer trainer to do something to spark a general loosening up continues. Any offers? Just imagine; countrywide contentment with true German efficiency could one day prevail.