Stone-throwing in Greece and one general strike after another.

I just wrote something about professionalism in my last blog post.
A professional is someone who takes responsibility for their own performance.

What's happening in Greece? Citizens are striking against the government.
Against the state. Who is the state? Who elected the politicians?

So in this case, the protest is against the outcome of their own most recent election.
If you want democracy, throwing stones isn’t the best way to hold a “vote.” I watched the vote yesterday on N-TV. Of course, the footage showed the stone-throwers and the fires. But if you looked closely, there weren’t actually that many people in the square in front of Parliament. Is much of this just media hype?

Of course, when the economic situation is poor and poverty is rampant, it is a personal hardship for many people. Unfortunately, the causes can always be traced back to one’s own past.

Something must have led to their personal situation being so dire. If people don’t take responsibility for this, there’s usually no real, lasting solution. The same goes for Germans. There’s so much complaining about who’s taking away jobs, the minimum wage, and so on. Employers, the government—everyone is expected to fix it.

But if life expectancy has increased by 20 years, are we really prepared to work 20 years longer?

Only 20% of the German population goes to work. And that percentage is getting smaller every year. We’re financing an ever-greater luxury. Well, whatever this society can manage.

But it’s also important for Germany that we no longer finance this primarily through debt, but actually earn the money ourselves. On a personal level, that might mean buying a car only when you can truly afford it. Warren E. Buffett recommends that a car shouldn’t cost more than three months’ salary. Who actually follows that advice?

If we take back responsibility for our own well-being, then we can also demand that politicians do what is necessary to ensure it.

In that sense, Greece is everywhere, and the same dangers and opportunities loom everywhere.

The world is okay. We decide for ourselves what to make of it!

Sincerely,

Wolfgang Georg Sonnenburg

Winning for Life

__________