Photo: NASA

On 21 July 1969 at 2.56 a.m. world time Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. I was 13 years old at that time. It wasn’t until 6 years later that I became aware of the dimension of this photo, when I moved into my first own flat. In the boxes I found the preserved newspaper from 1969 with this photo in large format. It was like a shock when I realized deep inside that this was my home.

Then came the inevitable fight for survival. Study, job, family, children, work. Only 45 years later the tireless fight for money ends in the near prospect of retirement – still close to the poverty line, but with a modest livelihood.

After 45 years of subjugation to the dictates of the economy, a new job to improve finances is not an option. I have had enough of it. But there was still the dream of being an artist, which I seemed to have finished at 40. But what did I have to say?

Then the photo came back to my mind and I was shocked how little had changed in people’s behaviour since then. The feeling of a common homeland, which one must cultivate and preserve, where respect for all life is a matter of course, was still far behind the hatred of the supposedly foreign, and the oppression of the weak.

The dominating ideologies have still not given way to a world order based on reason and science, which is possible with the help of artificial intelligence. And humanity has still not brought its emotions under control with the inherited patterns of behaviour that have arisen under quite different conditions. The world has changed much more through science and technology than the keepers of the past preach to us. And many still believe them instead of using the effort of thought and information.

It will be too late for most living, lazy fools, but anyone who is able to name things with his intellect is called upon to plant the new spirit into the brains of the next generations. It must happen often and continuously to take the next step in evolution.

And this is exactly what an artist can do. And that is exactly what I am doing now.

RESPECT

I am no idealist, and love is sometimes too much of a good thing for me. I think that respect which excludes racism and nationalism per se is enough. Respect also allows a personal retreat when other attitudes to life conflict too much with one’s own.

PROSPERITY

Wealth is always relative. But I would grant everyone the right to enough food, a solid roof over their heads and the opportunity to develop their talents. If some people think they need to keep the current prosperity gap, they should buy a few more luxury cars – what the hell – I’m not a communist.

SERENITY

The first two demands are a prerequisite for making serenity possible for the poor at all. It is likely to be a great challenge for all the half-rich, because in my opinion the hunt for the WORK-LIFE-BALANCE is nothing else but the fight against the constantly threatening poverty in the existing social system.