Dear readers,

I recently took part in a seminar on Critical Whiteness. Right at the start of the seminar, the seminar leaders reminded us that we cannot afford to be discouraged or complain about the current state of the world. What unfolded over the three days was a moving experience of what it takes to counter darkness and powerlessness: lived vulnerability, trust in relationships – and radical confidence.

We need to keep an eye out for the resilient, the bright, the encouraging – especially when it's overshadowed by the constant noise of doom and gloom. Because the attention economy favours the spectacular, the catastrophic – and we're getting used to it. So much so that we almost overlook the hopeful.

However: Confidence makes people good. And cheerful.

When we lose hope in the future, we lose ourselves. Only as hopeful, joyful beings can we grow, act and shape our lives. And so confidence can also have a political dimension: not allowing ourselves to slip into despondency and simply observing the status quo, but remaining capable of action. Hartmut Rosa also argues in his resonance theory that actively engaging with the world is a prerequisite for confidence.

What does it take? I would say experiencing one's own effectiveness and connectedness with others. At the same time, there also need to be clearly recognisable signs of counter-movements and counter-proposals to the often discouraging mainstream.

In their book „15 Countertrends – How the Future Changes Direction“, published in 2024, futurologists Tristan and Matthias Horx clearly show that there is a countertrend to every megatrend. Counter-movements as systemic patterns. Counter-trends reveal the deeper layers of society, where over-maturity, saturation and exhaustion arise and send out signals. They rebel against the trend of „always more“ – and open up new possibilities for new directions.

In emotionally stressful situations, it is necessary to actively work against fears, doubts or feelings of powerlessness. Regulating emotions takes strength and energy. Confidence is therefore also work. But particularly exciting here are findings from neuroscience, which show that optimism is by no means innate, but is associated with the activation of certain systems in the brain, which in turn can be trained, e.g. through social interaction or consciously imagining positive futures.

And recently, on a talk show, I heard the phrase, „Confidence develops when we are close to the ground. When we feel secure again somewhere beneath us.“ We want to help prepare such ground with our small and large events, which enable reflection and resonance, while at the same time providing the presence and support of a caring community.

This is what we want to achieve at this year's oe-tag on 13 June in Halle to search for traces of Eastern or Western influences in organisations, to broaden our horizons and our experiences with curiosity, critical thinking and mindfulness. But above all, to create a space for encounters, connections, confidence and lots of good cheer!

An article in this newsletter – Nicolas' review of the book „Children – a minority without protection“ – inspired me, by the way, to ask my 19-year-old son what gives him hope and what he fears when he thinks about the future.
His greatest concern: that AI could render his generation redundant.
His greatest hope: that humanity recognises the value of cooperation – across borders and differences.

We should listen to young people more often. And that is exactly what we want to do:
For the oe-tag on 13 June we award 10 Freetickets for young people, who would like to participate in a dialogue-based exploration of the effects of German-German history in organisations.

If such a young person is sitting next to you right now and nodding in agreement as they read this text over your shoulder, then please get in touch with us!

Joana Ebbinghaus