Respect for the stranger is respect for your own learning self

We view with concern the emerging opinions and gossip directed against »foreigners«. A form of nationalism is emerging that is defined primarily by blame, suspicion and hatred towards others. At present, it is the Chinese who are feeling the effects of this negative self-definition. In Italy, it is the Germans, hopefully only temporarily. In both cases, those who are isolating themselves can build on historical prejudices. The attitudes that are spreading virally on social media will not remain without consequences for the ‘restart’. We are currently damaging a long-established basis of trust and respect for the differences of others.

There is reason to fear that these attitudes will become stronger the longer the various communities feel the restrictions and losses caused by the current pandemic. And in doing so, we are jeopardising an important, but often overlooked, positive effect of globalisation.

With open markets and close cooperation between different cultures and traditions of thought, all sides have been given the opportunity to see themselves reflected in others. This process has not only served to improve understanding of other cultures, but also, to a large extent, to broaden understanding of one’s own culture, and has thus been and continues to be a springboard for personal development – or, in the jargon of organisational developers, for successful transformation. We learned to understand our respective intuitive worldviews and self-perceptions as the unconscious background to our actions, and with this understanding we were able to look at our part of the world differently, which in turn enabled us to act differently.

It is one of the foundations of our innovative capacity, which would not exist without the challenges posed by the unfamiliar. These are reflexive processes that enable us to expand both our understanding of ourselves and our understanding of the world. Specifically, diversity, with the right of diverse people to speak and be heard, is an accelerator of reflexive self-assurance and world assurance, and thus the basis of innovative strength and competitiveness.

In a »restart«, we will also have to pay attention to this aspect and work together to build mutual trust in each other.