a humble sociological observation a.k.a. trip to germany
Blown away by the age-old beauty; charmed by the kind hospitality; impressed by the legendary efficiency; scorched by the weather.... I guess that basically sums up my experiences throughout my 4-day stay in Germany.
I travelled from Baden Baden (famous for its hot springs) to Heidelberg (with its magnificient castle and pedestrian walk); trekked from Manheim (fountains galore!!) to Schwabisch Hall (which resembles the typical visions one normally conjure up of an old European town/village); whereby the journey from one place to another was accomodated by the extensive and reliable public transport system i.e. trains, trams, busses; all of which perfectly epitomizes the legendary punctuality and efficiency normally associated with the Germans.
Besides, what more could you expect from a country which is famous for its technological and engineering advancements? A country which produces many of the primary movers and shakers of science such as the likes of Einstein, Planck and Heisenberg?
For all its beauty and attractiveness however, I could sense a certain 'ruggedness' to the German landscape; there are lingering traces of decay - which are perhaps an inevitable consequence of the country's slightly 'tormented' history - but at the same time, a sense of certainty and cautious complacency that comes from the knowledge that every facet of the bureaucracy will proceed reliably with clockwork precision and accuracy.
In short, a sense of solemn confidence seemed to emanate from the country and its people, which somewhat conceals the eagerness to showcase its prowess to the world.
I believe that this is a society which chooses and succeeds to look beyond the surface; to penetrate beyond the veil of superficiality. A society which places more importance on substance than form; a society that does not crave the recognition of others by appealing to mindless, short term pursuits but instead earned them by showing others that it has the ability to get the job done without compromising the quality and at the same time preserving its style.
A society that does not 'put things in a basket and carry the basket themselves' (or literally in Malay: masuk bakul DAN angkat bakul) by achieving something and unashamedly proclaims them to the world. In short, it is a society which lets their achievements speak for themselves.
Granted, there may be problems and complications within the society which did not caught my attention but the bottom line is that I felt that this is a society which - through sheer determination, basic hard work and concerted effort - managed to reach a level of competency such that all aspects of life are meticulously planned ahead and its implementation followed through to the last letter.
One could only imagine the sheer amount of planning that goes into the creation and more importantly, the preservation of such systems; in some cases, such systems might be no more than a mere showcase to the world; a showcase so fragile that even a tiny glitch will cause the whole showcase to come crumbling down, revealing the underlying, haphazard machinery used to support it.
However, such display of efficiency in systems could also outline the intricate and calculative effort which goes into the running of such systems; when one goes beyond the surface, one does not find a myriad of ad hoc machinery desperately trying to keep the system running; rather, one will uncover series and series of sophistication and complexity, all of which works harmoniously together to maintain the system.
I felt that the latter is the case with Germany; that's the reason behind those solemn confidence and certainty; that's the reason for the prevailing sense of cautious complancency. It is not some publicity stunt to command the attention of others; it is not an aim to be realized, it is in itself the consequence of doing something else.
If that is truly the case, then I believe that we have been gravely mistaken in our aims and our way of doing things all these years; we have mistakenly diagnose the symptoms as the cause.
p/s: to view photos from my trip, go to http://wanaimran.fotopages.com
I travelled from Baden Baden (famous for its hot springs) to Heidelberg (with its magnificient castle and pedestrian walk); trekked from Manheim (fountains galore!!) to Schwabisch Hall (which resembles the typical visions one normally conjure up of an old European town/village); whereby the journey from one place to another was accomodated by the extensive and reliable public transport system i.e. trains, trams, busses; all of which perfectly epitomizes the legendary punctuality and efficiency normally associated with the Germans.
Besides, what more could you expect from a country which is famous for its technological and engineering advancements? A country which produces many of the primary movers and shakers of science such as the likes of Einstein, Planck and Heisenberg?
For all its beauty and attractiveness however, I could sense a certain 'ruggedness' to the German landscape; there are lingering traces of decay - which are perhaps an inevitable consequence of the country's slightly 'tormented' history - but at the same time, a sense of certainty and cautious complacency that comes from the knowledge that every facet of the bureaucracy will proceed reliably with clockwork precision and accuracy.
In short, a sense of solemn confidence seemed to emanate from the country and its people, which somewhat conceals the eagerness to showcase its prowess to the world.
I believe that this is a society which chooses and succeeds to look beyond the surface; to penetrate beyond the veil of superficiality. A society which places more importance on substance than form; a society that does not crave the recognition of others by appealing to mindless, short term pursuits but instead earned them by showing others that it has the ability to get the job done without compromising the quality and at the same time preserving its style.
A society that does not 'put things in a basket and carry the basket themselves' (or literally in Malay: masuk bakul DAN angkat bakul) by achieving something and unashamedly proclaims them to the world. In short, it is a society which lets their achievements speak for themselves.
Granted, there may be problems and complications within the society which did not caught my attention but the bottom line is that I felt that this is a society which - through sheer determination, basic hard work and concerted effort - managed to reach a level of competency such that all aspects of life are meticulously planned ahead and its implementation followed through to the last letter.
One could only imagine the sheer amount of planning that goes into the creation and more importantly, the preservation of such systems; in some cases, such systems might be no more than a mere showcase to the world; a showcase so fragile that even a tiny glitch will cause the whole showcase to come crumbling down, revealing the underlying, haphazard machinery used to support it.
However, such display of efficiency in systems could also outline the intricate and calculative effort which goes into the running of such systems; when one goes beyond the surface, one does not find a myriad of ad hoc machinery desperately trying to keep the system running; rather, one will uncover series and series of sophistication and complexity, all of which works harmoniously together to maintain the system.
I felt that the latter is the case with Germany; that's the reason behind those solemn confidence and certainty; that's the reason for the prevailing sense of cautious complancency. It is not some publicity stunt to command the attention of others; it is not an aim to be realized, it is in itself the consequence of doing something else.
If that is truly the case, then I believe that we have been gravely mistaken in our aims and our way of doing things all these years; we have mistakenly diagnose the symptoms as the cause.
p/s: to view photos from my trip, go to http://wanaimran.fotopages.com
posted by wanaimran at
9:51 PM
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