Hardly a day goes by without us receiving good advice for the post-corona era. Trend researchers outdo each other with new scenarios – very often positively colored, because in times like these, such reports are simply preferred to be read, more easily liked, distributed, and commented on.

I would like to walk a different mental path with you, even if many repeatedly argue that we learn too little from history and that our old mistakes simply repeat themselves in a new context: in my opinion, it is worth looking back.

Over the past 10, 20 years, we have lost our center in all respects. Not only personally and politically, but also economically. With pithy slogans like "...the fast devours the slow...!" or "...better fail quickly and a few times than wait around...!" we have driven our systems to the limit, trimmed them for maximum efficiency, maxed out markets, etc., etc.

The current crisis hits us at a moment when our concepts are just being trimmed for  purpose. The new mantra: companies should not only focus on their business model, but their social responsibility should stand as a central element at the heart of their activities.

You have probably already read Bill Gates' 2015 lecture; if not, I recommend the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Af6b_wyiwI

In his concept, he describes crystal-clear that, for example, since the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic, there has not been a single pharmaceutical company that conducted, or was even able to conduct, basic research on "viruses such as bird flu, Ebola, etc.". How would one have explained expenses on the stock market that do not increase the company's value in the short term? States were not in a position to do so either, as they too were trimmed for efficiency, reduction in public spending, etc., etc.

All these concepts have split our society just as the markets present themselves today: extreme! Moderates from the center of our society were labeled as hostile to progress, deniers of modernity, and so on.

Now we have been decelerated from 100 to virtually zero. Just as political leaders like Johnson and Trump are now unmasking themselves because they do not choose a balanced approach like, for example, the Austrian government, but instead prefer to shine with pithy slogans.

But we too should look more closely at our systems and think about a reasonable happy medium, and this should find its way into our concepts – in all respects.

As a result, we would quickly realize that establishing a sense of purpose for our companies and society would happen almost automatically.

Since this article is published in CASH, this also applies to the relationship between industry & retail, which are doing a magnificent job of securing local supply in times like these.

For years, however, a spirit of togetherness has been communicated here, which in most cases is little more than empty words.

Perhaps through our personal center we will also find the golden mean, the happy medium for our society once again. Extreme ideas are important, but they should be considered with moderation & purpose, and not be the central maxim for the development of our society.

All the best!

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