Note: My personal construct of ideas for seven attitudes. This is not an academic paper, but a conjecture – grown from historical observations, conversations, and experiences I have gathered from all over through the years.

If you like, listen while reading:

§ 1 Togetherness. In times of scarcity, retreating into one’s own group was vital for survival; today we are all in the same boat – whether young or old, whether born here or newly arrived. Instead of falling back into old defensive reflexes of division and confrontation, we use what we in Austria have learned across generations: we bring different interests to one table, seek a viable compromise – and tackle things together.

§ 2 Gentleness. Nobody is perfect, and anyone can stumble in life, fall ill, or make mistakes. We do not kick people when they are down or point fingers at others, but treat one another humanely and gently.

§ 3 Looking Out for One Another. We do not look away when a neighbour goes quiet, when someone comes under pressure or needs help. And we also see the many quiet helpers in everyday life who keep things running – and honestly say thank you to them.

§ 4 Moral Courage. When someone is treated unfairly, excluded, or put down, we do not conveniently keep our mouths shut. We speak up and stand protectively in front of those who cannot help themselves right now.

§ 5 Law and Backing. We do not leave police officers, soldiers, judges, and everyone else who stands up for us in the service of the state alone. As long as they protect our constitution, the law, and international law to the best of their knowledge and conscience, the state – and thus all of us as a society – bears responsibility for this mandate and the people who fulfil it. Where this law is broken, however, we look just as consistently.

§ 6 Open Debate, Inviolable Dignity. Having your own stance is welcome – even outwardly it does not have to match the group –, as long as you state it as your own opinion and do not sell it as absolute truth. In doing so, an honest question is always worth more to us than a quick answer. No human being has to earn their dignity: how someone believes, lives, or loves is not up for debate for us. The rights of others and the boundaries of the rule of law apply equally to everyone. About institutions, religious organisations, texts, history, and states, by contrast, we speak openly and without taboos.

§ 7 Working for Something. We do not shy away from contradiction, but we waste no energy on self-righteousness and endless discussions. We care about solutions, not scoring points. We ask the right questions, develop new ideas from them, and work for them – for a good and better coexistence, for a contented society and a contented economy. Because we firmly believe that both need and strengthen one another.

Emerging Stronger Together from the Crisis

True strength does not arise when everyone fights only for themselves, but when we look out for one another (“uf a nand luaga” in Vorarlberg dialect) and lift each other up. When we finally set down the heavy, often unspoken backpacks of the past, understand our knowledge as a shared treasure, and live mutual service to our neighbour, we create the foundation for contented citizens – and thus for a country that flourishes humanly and economically from within.

1. A Clear Head Instead of Old, Inherited Existential Fears

  • What it brings to people: In many families, the fear of scarcity, job loss, or social decline sits deep – often quietly passed down by generations who had to endure war, bitter poverty, or harsh crises. When basic needs such as affordable housing, fair wages, and reliable healthcare are secured today, this chain of fear is finally broken. People regain that inner calm and clarity that frees the mind to step out of the old survival mode and be there for their neighbour.
  • What it brings to the economy over time: Contented citizens who no longer act out of inherited fear are braver, more creative, and more innovative. Those who feel secure dare to try new things, continue their education, work with a clear head, and support their colleagues. At the same time, financial security ensures stable purchasing power that flows reliably into regional businesses, trades, and gastronomy.

2. Breaking the Silence: A Living Archive of Experiences (“Our Stuff”)

  • What it brings to people: For decades, silence about emotional pain, overwhelm, or mistakes was not malice, but a historical protective mechanism: in times of sheer survival and reconstruction, people had to function. Yet what served as armour back then was invisibly passed on as pressure to the next generation. Open spaces and platforms in municipalities where we share “our stuff” – our real worries, life stories, and approaches to solutions – without shame and without ego, evolve this old pattern. One’s own lived crisis thus becomes direct service to one’s neighbour – and ensures that our children can grow up free from the unspoken burdens of the past.
  • What it brings to the economy over time: Where knowledge and experiences are shared as common property, a living, free learning and safety network emerges. Over the years, companies, start-ups, and municipalities can avoid noticeable friction losses because people learn from one another instead of sweeping mistakes under the rug out of false shame.

3. Fast, Pragmatic Solutions Through Lived Neighbourhood

  • What it brings to people: Historically, state and administration grew as an ordering authority to make large societies organisable and safe in the first place. Today, politics and administration are evolving: away from rigid regulation, toward an enabling servant of the community that actively strengthens being there for one another in everyday life (neighbourhood help, associations, intergenerational support). When families are relieved by reliable childcare, short distances, and unbureaucratic help, daily pressure recedes from their own four walls – and parents once again have patience and strength for their children.
  • What it brings to the economy over time: Children who grow up in a relaxed, supportive environment develop into confident, eager-to-learn young people – a strong foundation against future skills shortages. At the same time, parents can go to work with peace of mind, bureaucracy is reduced, and tax money flows more into productive future investments rather than the expensive repair of social flashpoints.

4. Dignity, Security, and the End of “Hardness Toward Oneself”

  • What it brings to people: Earlier generations often had to function in existential crises until they broke – showing weakness was simply not an option. Today we may take off this armour. Looking out for one another (“uf a nand luaga”) means in our development today: every human being is valuable, whether they are currently full of strength supporting others or going through a severe depression themselves, needing care and support. We catch one another before the pain of one generation becomes the burden of the next. Today I help you, tomorrow you help me – without shame and at eye level.
  • What it brings to the economy over time: Contented citizens who are allowed to accept help in time without losing face become chronically ill less often. When mental and physical strains are cushioned early in a solidary society, sick leave, burnout rates, addictions, and early retirements can decline noticeably over the decades. This can significantly relieve the healthcare and social system in the long run and keeps experienced workers healthy in life and on the job.

5. Intact Nature as a Shared Place of Strength (Making Peace in the Cycle)

  • What it brings to people: Protecting our forests, waters, and recreational spaces as an inviolable common good. In the forest, everyone immediately feels: “It comes from the sand, it returns to the sand.” This grounding helps people let go of old ballast, take a deep breath, and find inner peace – right on their doorstep and completely independent of income.
  • What it brings to the economy over time: Protecting nature is a direct service to the neighbours of tomorrow. Instead of bequeathing ecological debt to our children alongside old emotional ballast, we hand over an intact basis of life. This keeps people healthy and resilient, secures agriculture, tourism, and clean water in the long term, and helps avoid severe follow-up costs from environmental and climate damage.

The Economic Core: From Ego Struggle to a Serving Community

When we dissolve the old burdens of the past through mutual service to our neighbour and look out for one another in everyday life, we practice sustainable economic and social policy: we raise a generation that is no longer occupied with repairing old wounds, but shapes the future with a clear head, trust, and full strength. Contented citizens create a country with high basic trust, social peace, and economic stability. For when we serve our neighbour, in the end we strengthen us all.

Addendum: How We Take the Wind Out of the Sails of Division on Issue No. 1 (A Bold Idea)

The topic of immigration currently dominates everything. Anyone who only reacts with a wagging finger or downplays problems loses people to those who live off fear and division. But what happens if we turn the tables and grasp the issue right where almost everyone in Austria is proud: our own family history and honest life achievement?

Let’s be honest: we have always been a country of many roots and colourful family trees. Whether the “Wälsche” from Trentino, the “Ziegelböhmen” (Bohemian brickmakers) in Vienna, the workers from Styria and Carinthia, or later the families from former Yugoslavia and Turkey – if we go through the surnames in our inns, almost all of our ancestors were at some point “the strangers” who started from scratch with a suitcase full of hope.

The Idea: Let’s Publicly Honour and Respect People with a History of Immigration from Past Generations!

  • What this triggers in people (healing instead of division): Earlier generations of people with a history of immigration and so-called “Gastarbeiter” (guest workers) often toiled under the harshest conditions, were looked at askance at first, stayed silent, and literally helped build our prosperity today with their own hands. When we officially say “Thank you” to them today and honour them, we heal old, unspoken wounds in many families. Anyone who recognises that their own great-grandfather or father walked this exact path will no longer let themselves be so easily incited against “the strangers.”
  • What it brings politically and economically (a clear, positive standard): We take away the fearmongers’ monopoly on the concept of homeland (Heimat). By honouring those who once arrived as strangers and became at home here, we send a crystal-clear, unifying signal for today: it is not origin that decides, but an honest Yes to our shared living space. Whoever integrates, respects our rules, and becomes part of it belongs to us.

Instead of remaining in defensive mode, we create shared pride, detoxify the debate at the regulars’ table, and emotionally reach precisely those well-integrated people who might otherwise be blinded by slogans.

For whoever honours their own roots stands too firmly in the ground to let themselves be divided.

Why I Write

I write because I love social democracy – and because I believe that its core still holds: the core of Bruno Kreisky and his people. That is exactly what I need in order to imagine a country that can endure in multiple crises. Perhaps even a world.

For me, it is about approaches to solutions. About different ways of thinking. And about strengthening society from its own strength for the common good – self-confident, responsible, with an honest Yes to our country.

By René Jochum - LLM Translated. In memory of Bruno Kreisky – and in the conviction that true dignity belongs to those who serve their neighbour. License: CC-BY-4.0.