Visions are born in the shadow of politics

"When politicians are too busy running the country or opposing the government to put themselves into the position to be the next government instead is it not for the ministerial bureaucracy to come up with a vision?" asked one of my students this week (03.07.2024).

Like in many countries so in Germany, we witnessed parties for eight, fourteen, or sixteen years in power losing with a landslide majority, not in support of the new incumbent leader but in opposition to the ruling party out of disappointment. Politics have become an exercise for the moment not an undertaking for a lifetime.

Late German Chancellor Helmut Kohl reached his seat as the SPD members were disappointed with their Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. Helmut Kohl was a man of the day, not the future. The German reunification extended his reign for a few years before the woman he raised by his side Angela Merkel pushed him aside and took over. Her governance was under the motto "Each month a new problem no time for a vision" and her Minister Olaf Scholz who succeeded her being a lawyer for labor issues stands firmly in the big footsteps of his female mentor.

Politicians in German parliaments rush to the seats of power at an early age with no professional success or personal experiences and repeat the narrative of their parties like a mantra. Unable to think independently outside the box so as not to lose the support of party elders they contribute to opening the door and letting extremists into the political arena basically by not addressing the concerns of the people.

In such situations across history, another set of people filled the vacuum of ideas with a vision. Let us be reminded of Robespierre of the French Revolution, Martin Luther and his church reform ideas, Adolf Hitler in prison and his book 'My Fight', Karl Marx and his 'Communist Manifesto', Kant, and Hegel among others.

The intellectual elite who should be in the shadow of politics thinking about a new vision for the world is nowhere to be found. Instead, they rush to the forefront of our fast-changing political processes to comment and satisfy the hungry media. This makes it nearly impossible to groom an intellectually relevant elite that is helpful for a nation, continent, or the world to present a vision of the future world in hundreds of years to come.

'Future Scientists' define the future on singular aspects in line with their sponsors not as a holistic approach. A world or even a country not having a great vision of the future does not know the way where to head to. Manifestos or ideas for a generation to come let the people see the light of the day standing constantly in fierce competition with the light of other civilizations unable to come out over time on top - ordinary civilizations in the end.

Is this what God had on his mind when making Africa the birthplace of mankind and humanity? Or can Africa do better? To survive by water and bread alone seems not to be good enough.