DIE JUGEND

Text by Daniel West
Photography by Andreas Kohler

Die Jugend

“Denk ich an Deutschland in der Nacht, ward ich um den Schlaf gebracht”

Heinrich Heine
(Thinking of Germany at night; just puts all thought of sleep to flight)

To many Germans, the quote above encapsulates awkward contemplation. Wrangling over the vergangenheit and the present is so common it could be a national sport. But to the planeloads of clubbers flocking through Berlin’s airports, those sleepless nights have an altogether different meaning. To them, the capital is a bohemian playground where anything might, and does, happen.

As unique as the myth of Berlin may seem, and as airbrushed as it may be, it does have some resonance for the country at large. Division has been replaced by unity – geographically, at least – and the government has finally clawed itself back into the black. Optimism aside, Germany remains a complex and fragmented nation, with multiple pockets of opportunity and impoverishment. Racial tensions show no signs of evaporating, with sobering assaults never far from the headlines. Youth stand between anticipation and fear; opinions and plans tempered by a wider consciousness uncommon to most of their European peers.

Yet the future of Germany’s people is bright precisely because of (not despite) their dark collective past. The weight of guilt is a constant check on potential excesses, and ensures an underlying freedom more vital than ever. Introspection, openness and a desire for reconciliation have transformed Germany from headstrong aggressor to a bastion of sanity and civility. The majority of its youth are blessed with these virtues, and are all the more stable for them.

Teutonic jingoism has, by and large, been replaced by maturity. It is a trait visible here in Germany’s children – irrespective of background.


CULT-GEIST: Personal Optimism