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My mother’s house has a spacious basement with stacks of magazines. The big stack is the legacy of my father, a do-it-yourselfer and auto mechanic. But what exactly did he want from him? Throughout his life, he repeatedly told me that one day, when he had enough time, he would start reading these magazines, line by line. There are issues of “Facts” and “Weltwoche” from 2000 to 2016, the year of his death.
Whenever I visit my mother, I go down to the basement and admire the stack of magazines. My father, probably the most well-read car mechanic north of the Alps, wanted to study the editions again in silence, with a retrospective distance. But what was he trying to prove? What question do these magazines answer?
It’s a big question that I’ve been obsessed with since his sudden death.
My father was an incorruptible realist—his favorite disciplines were geopolitical considerations and attempts to understand our completely incomprehensible monetary system. He considered our pacifist, benevolent society to be as self-deceiving as the debt policy of states. I say this to convey what might have occurred to him if he were to look at the world through old magazines again.
Option 1
My father wanted to prove that what he saw as an inevitable economic and political mess was very clear from the start. Anyone could see it if they only wanted to. But most people don’t want (d) no-man, ostrich.
option 2
The father was convinced that the inevitable collapse of the system would not be recognized over time – no matter how crazy the world one lives in, it is impossible to see and comprehend this world from the outside. Collapse never occurs where it is expected and feared. Man, lost animal.
option 3
All the writings of the day and day are in vain. News consumption closes our eyes to what’s really important – it’s best if we put ourselves on a news-free diet. Man, news junkie.
Was this the intention and inspiration of my father? I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t know himself. But what I know for sure: I will read all these magazines one by one. And I’ll probably see: Man is a stray, news-crazed ostrich.
René Scheuil is a philosopher and director of the Swiss Institute for Economic Policy (IWP) in Lucerne.
Source: Blick
I am David Miller, a highly experienced news reporter and author for 24 Instant News. I specialize in opinion pieces and have written extensively on current events, politics, social issues, and more. My writing has been featured in major publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and BBC News. I strive to be fair-minded while also producing thought-provoking content that encourages readers to engage with the topics I discuss.
