On return to cold Germany from my vacation, I was a little sad. Another wonderful time was over, the summer at an end, autumn and winter knocking at the door.
But then, there are also things I feel happy about on returning home. One of them is the new “brand eins” edition. In Greece, at Gythio harbour, I had already looked for it in the only shop that sold international newspapers. Unfortunately, the owner of the shop – which actually had a good supply of international papers – had never heard of “brand eins”.
So much the more did it make me happy to find the blue copy in my post box. WHAT?? BLUE?
Strange. I hold a blue copy in my hand, yet the internet version of the “brand eins” has a red cover.
On my paper version, I read:
Business is …. Good
Really? The focal point is: Good & Bad
On the red version, you can read:
Business is …. Bad
With the German letter“ö” (in “böse“ like “bad“) filled in in the shape of a small devil …
Well, I think I would prefer the red version.
So I am tormented by the questions: Why did I get a blue (good) “brand eins”? Is it accidental? Or is this just an internet trick and there is no red (bad) “brand eins” version?
I am at a loss. What if this is a twist of fate?
Asking the question whether business and trade are good or bad, the Bavarian Constitution comes to mind. It describes in some detail what requirements must be met in order for business to be ”good“. Meaning how it can function reasonably for a long time.
Or to be more precise:
The high value of economic freedom also carries quite a few obligations. Economic freedom alone guarantees free and private business transations. Total exploitation of this freedom without any consideration for the duties that should be self-evident caused the late-capitalist perversions we now see.
In the Bavarian Constitution, it has been nicely written down what rights and obligations businessmen should have. Incidentally, there is a separate article dealing with the finance sector. If you want to read them, you can even get an excerpt in two IF blog articles (Weltwirtschaftskrise and Weltwirtschaftskrise). Or else, consult the website of the “Bayerischer Landtag“ and read the entire text (also in many translations).
What a pity that the Bavarian Constitution no longer has any value, because the ”Grundgesetz“ of the Federal Republic of Germany beats the Bavarian Constitution.
But back to the magazine:
I only spent a little less than half an hour browsing through the “brand eins”. Consequently, I was only able to read into a few articles.
But I come to the conclusion that the reason why I like “brand eins“ so much is because it mutates towards being a business-philosophy magazine. That is probably also why it is such a success.
I find this quite courageous on the part of its makers – and it speaks in favour of its readers. Perhaps Germany is not yet quite as bleak as it sometimes seems to me.
RMD
(Translated by EG)