Kevin, 18, lives in Greifswald and is committed to fighting climate change
“I have a non-activist circle of friends. I’m actually the only person who is politically active. That’s why my friends have often told me that I had a noticeable political influence on them, regarding various left-wing ideas such as anti-capitalism. That makes me kinda proud.
With my parents, I’m often the only point of contact for really progressive issues such as veganism or climate protection in general. They don’t know any other people who would discuss things like this with them. At first they were quite stubborn and almost never understood me. Now we can talk about these things on one level.
I’m always happy when a political topic comes up in conversation. Because I like to talk about it. But I never actually bring up these topics myself because I have the feeling that nobody wants to have things explained all the time. Also, I don’t want to tell people stuff they already know. So overall, I’m not trying to actively teach others anything. Nobody likes senior teachers. But if you’re asked about it, you’re free to tell what you know, right?”
Berthold, 86, lives in Saarbrücken and is involved in the seniors’ group
“I experienced the Second World War and the post-war period. This gives me responsibility for what exactly I pass on to my children and grandchildren. There are five points that are important to me. First: Learning to think for yourself. Second: Understanding the complexity of the world Third: Learning to live together Fourth: Dealing with one’s surroundings Fifth: Article 1 of the Basic Law, human dignity is inviolable.
I taught these five things to my children and grandchildren. I’ve accumulated a lot of life. These five things are the most essential that I was allowed to learn. We have to make up our own minds. This is only possible if we listen to all opinions and understand that the world is not black and white. And above all there is a maxim: Human dignity is inviolable. That always comes first, and that’s how I raised my kids, and they in turn raised their kids.”
