The current US president said it again and again. As I see it, he said it a little too often, because for a US president, “America FIRST” should go without saying. Of course, the USA must come first for a US president. And nobody would criticize “America FIRST” if the man who keeps saying it were not Mr. Donald Trump who, even to my way of thinking, acts slightly irrational.
Even for humans, it is true that you first have to care about yourself, before you can think of others. How can anybody who does not value his or her own self appreciate others? That is why masses of persons in the sense of a social system, too, first have to think of their own well-being.
Consequently, I like the slogan “America FIRST“ as a behaviour-oriented value much more than a USA that considers itself a boorish world policeman and also acts accordingly. For instance, I do not understand why Trump’s predecessor, Obama, who won the Nobel Prize for Peace, ordered his soldiers to drop a total of 26,171 bombs in seven countries in the year 2016 alone (as the US expert for foreign policy and national security, Micah Zenko, says on the website of the think tank “Council on Foreign Relations“). And I do not understand why nobody in this country protests against it. Maybe it is because we are the third biggest weapons exporting country of the world – and because in this country everything that creates jobs is per se a “good thing”.
I am not a powerful president. I am only a simple private and retired person who likes to blog. Consequently, I am thinking about what is “FIRST“ in my life.
I live in Neubiberg, which means one would assume that I say “Neubiberg FIRST“. But somehow or other, I still feel more at home in Unterhaching, Riemerling and even Ottobrunn than in Neubiberg. All these locations are situated in the south-eastern affluent suburbs of Munich.
Consequently what I say is: ”Upper Bavaria South-East FIRST“
I often ride my bike and like using public transportation. Consequently, I yell
“New Mobility and as few combustion motors as possible FIRST!”.
I want a maximum quality of life. And since Munich is so near, I also yell:
“FIRST less traffic noise and pure air in and around Munich!“.
I also wish to live healthy and not have more plastic on this planet. Consequently, I say:
“exercise and health FIRST!“.
and
“healthy food and no plastic FIRST”.
Now I leave my micro-cosmos. I live in Upper Bavaria, but I grew up in Swabia. So now comes a softly spoken “upper Bavaria and Swabia FIRST”.
However, “Bavaria FIRST” gets stuck in my throat. One of the reasons is that a large part of the weapons exports come from Bavaria, which, for me, is a total no-go.
I definitely have no breath left for “Germany FIRST”.
For me, the gigantic government buildings in Berlin are first and foremost a gigantic symbol of power. Everything smells of reign and bourgeoisie. This also includes the parliament with its many luxury limousines that sit in front of the building with their motors running so the chauffeurs will not get cold.
The Chancellor’s Centre with its wide rear expanse is not my world, either (the same is true for the Bavarian Government Central Building in Munich). There are more things in Berlin that I do not understand. For instance the new German Secret Service building. It will be the biggest governmental building ever built in Germany. All those things are not what I would feel comfortable with. So, naturally, there is no “Berlin FIRST“.
In my perception, Europe is even farther removed than Germany. So you will never hear me say “Europe FIRST“.
If there is anything I would wish to say in a really loud voice, then it would be
“Peace and Humanity FIRST
and
“Humanity and Tolerance FIRST!“
If, one day, there is a peaceful and free Europe of regions as part of one world where a common-good economy is practiced and where we have no wars, then I will yell “ONE WORLD !“ and “Europe FIRST!“
But only if politics and the economy make the people and the common good as their first priority.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
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