What holds us together? What keeps us together in a crisis like the current one? Werner Lampert on cohesion among the population, the opportunity presented by the coronavirus crisis and the value of regional agriculture.
Trust develops in a harmonious bond. Trust in ourselves, trust in each other and this helps us to lead a life of relationship. In this environment, we experience respect and esteem. The feeling of being accepted allows us to grow - in humanity. The capacity for friendship, charity and loyalty develops in such an atmosphere.
I thought it would take many more generations before we would arrive at a cooperative, radically solidary form of economy.
But crises can dynamize developments and necessities. Today we know and experience every day how important farmers and their work are for us. Today we see what damage it would do if we were to forget about food sovereignty due to globalization. Local agriculture supplies us even when economic life collapses, when borders are closed. Farmers go to the barn and the fields every day and take care of us.
And when Ceres gave us humans the cultura agri in the dark ages, the goddess also taught us the cultura animi, which enables us to think and act with our hearts. In this way, we learned to form friendships, cultivate relationships, show consideration for one another and stand by each other, understand and respect the needs of others. In this way, we came to terms with our fears.
This new togetherness makes us whole people. That is the opportunity of this crisis.
We experience every day how much we need each other. How much society needs each and every one of us. Because only together will we be able to meet the challenges ahead.
And only if the regional farmers stand up for us will we have a future.
We should never forget this and look out for each other in the future. Only a radically united community will be able to master the challenges that lie ahead.
What holds us together as a society is freedom, the freedom of each individual to be public-spirited, the freedom to share.
It is only through deeply felt and knowledgeable cooperation that we become people who can overcome any crisis, any task, any challenge.
Let's start with our neighbors today!
About Werner Lampert
Werner Lampert (born 1946 in Vorarlberg/Austria) is one of the pioneers in the field of sustainable products and their development in Europe. The organic pioneer has been intensively involved in organic farming since the 1970s. With Back to the origin (Hofer) and Ja! Natürlich, he developed two of the most successful organic brands in the German-speaking world.
