Thought #428: Two Generations, Three Languages, and a Country’s True Strength

At our kitchen table in Leipzig the languages sometimes switch in the middle of a sentence. A word in German, one in Russian, a technical term in English. To guests it may sound chaotic. For Natalia and me it’s simply everyday life.

Two generations

I belong to Generation X; I was born in the Ore Mountains and grew up in the GDR. I know what it’s like to be pushed into roles that make you small, and how it feels when a worldview starts to crack. Natalia is a millennial. She works in public service and comes from Russia. She left her homeland out of conviction, because she fundamentally disagreed with its political system.

Two life paths that, at first glance, have little in common. And yet we both know the question of what actually makes a country strong.

What really makes a country strong

Imperial posturing measures strength in borders, tanks and loud slogans. It needs enemies in order to feel big. A country’s true strength lies elsewhere:

in the freedom to say openly what you think, and in democratic institutions that protect that freedom,
in a culture that brings people together instead of lining them up in ranks,
in humanity towards those who are weaker,
and in a peaceful, respectful relationship with its neighbours.

Natalia hopes with all her heart that democratic conditions soon return to her homeland and that Russia finds exactly this strength: in humanity, culture and peaceful cooperation rather than in imperial ambitions. I share that wish. And I know from my own family history that humanity, lived out, can break through any image of the enemy: as a child, my mother went hungry and was given food – of all people – by Soviet soldiers.

Three languages, one shared life

German, Russian, English – for us these aren’t school subjects but bridges. I have been interpreting at the Jobcenter for almost four years, and every day I see how much easier a conversation becomes when someone listens in your own language. Out of these bridges Natalia and I are building a shared life – and, with UNO.TEAM, a space where people get talking across language borders.

Maybe that is the quietest way to contradict imperial thinking: listening, translating and meeting your neighbours with respect.

🤖 Reflection quiz on Thought #428

Three questions to keep thinking. Choose an answer – you will then get an explanation and a prompt for self-reflection.

According to Thought #428, how does “imperial posturing” measure strength?
A) By the number of languages a country speaks.
B) By the quality of its schools.
C) In borders, tanks and loud slogans – and it needs enemies to feel big.
D) By how content its neighbours are.
According to the text, where does a country’s true strength lie?
A) In democratic freedom, a culture that connects, humanity towards the weaker, and a peaceful, respectful relationship with its neighbours.
B) In borders that are as large as possible.
C) In a strong army and strict discipline.
D) In economic growth at any price.
Which experience from Torsten’s family history shows that humanity can break through images of the enemy?
A) His grandfather founded a factory.
B) As a child, his mother went hungry and was given food – of all people – by Soviet soldiers.
C) His parents emigrated to Russia.
D) Russian was his favourite subject at school.