When Europe’s cities burn

It’s shocking images that are running through social media. And you rub your eyes. Can it be that in Europe the cities really are burning? Can it be that the democratic states are reaching their limits with their politics?

The images that reach us make us afraid. Violence seems to be moving closer, everyday life to be becoming less safe. It has been building for years: knife attacks that happen out of the blue. People being pushed onto the tracks. Bystanders getting caught up in violent conflicts and suffering harm.

And of course the most illogical thing of all: violent demonstrations lead to property damage worth millions, which in the end the general public has to bear again. This means the state will have to save even more elsewhere. So everyone pays the bill.

That creates a strange, almost schizophrenic situation: because the spiral of violence is turning, the police apparatus has to be upgraded. Because there is war in Europe, higher military spending is needed. And savings are made precisely on education, on support for socially weaker families and on the future prospects of an entire generation.

Behind all this there is actually the desire for positive change and a better perspective. At the same time, one may ask: where is that supposed to come from?

Because it arises from a certain state of mind. But how do the young generation, and we adults too, find a stance that puts the future, the common good and a certain selflessness at the centre?

Self-limitation – an extremely unattractive topic. Self-restraint as a counterproposal to ruthless egoism. Where is that supposed to come from?

It doesn’t fall from the sky. And at the same time it springs at least in part from that spiritual dimension whose significance democracies are currently struggling to acknowledge. Because in the end, we probably can’t avoid the question of God after all.

The more one tries to separate it from social life and taboo it in everyday life, the more strongly dissatisfaction and extreme forms of religious understanding seem to break through again.

With these questions I want to call for a shared reflection. And not exempt myself in the process, but also recognise and take on my own responsibility.