BOOK AND FILM REVIEWS Farewell to Stone Age morality When the sun went outApocalypse no!Do we need a second planet?The adventurous life of Adam DreylingThe strange survival of neoliberalismThe end of normalityThe global disasterThe Moses riddleThe riddle of the Danube civilizationThe SK principleThe hatred of the WestThe oldest city in AmericaThe snake in the firmamentThe TemplarsThe world maps of the ancient marinersSaving a misunderstood king's lifeAn inconvenient truthA [...]
Light from the East
By Peter Frankopan, Rowolt, Reinbeck, 2017 Various historical writings promised a "New History of the World", but in most cases it remained, more or less, within the framework of the usual observations. According to the general understanding of history in the West, world history initially took place mainly around the Mediterranean. Of the Far East, [...]
Between earth and sky
Rowohlt, Berlin, 1980, ISBN 978-3-7371-0089-4 This book offers a kind of "ecological history" and is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in ecological problems.Unlike the usual historical writings, the focus here is on ecology, on the multiple interactions between nature and human activity, but also on the dependence of man on his environment.This [...]...
In "In former times everything was better" under the heading "Man does not live from bread alone" the way of the human-spiritual in the post-creation is briefly dealt with.Now we want to look at the first steps of a human being after his demise, following the Grail-message "In the light of truth" by Abd-ru-shin (1). A human being lies in the dying... [...]
The special culture of the Walser
One of the most interesting landscapes in Europe is undoubtedly the Alps. They act as a barrier between the Mediterranean and the more northerly areas of Central Europe. For thousands of years they were considered ugly, dangerous, unsuitable for agriculture and an obstacle to transit traffic. Although the Alpine passes were crossed thousands of years ago, the [...]
The emperor behind the plow
Good will is a prerequisite, but it alone is not enough. One of the most interesting but also most contradictory rulers of the 18th century is Joseph II of Habsburg-Lorraine, Archduke of Austria-Lorraine (13. 3. 1741 - 20. 2. 1790). He was also Holy Roman Emperor from 1765-1780. His mother was Maria Theresa of Austria (13. 5. 1717 - 29. [...]
In "The Fire of Christianity", we asked the question of what may have prompted people in the early centuries to become Christians. Now let's take a brief look at the rapid spread of Christianity, especially in its early days.The spread of early ChristianityWhen we talk about Christianization today, we involuntarily think of Rome as the most important starting point. But [...]
On April 11, 2022, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer visited the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. Nehammer wanted to draw Vladimir Putin's attention to how the Ukraine war - which in Russia must be called a "special military operation" - is being received in the West in what was presumably an intensive conversation about which nothing was initially disclosed. As a representative of a [...]
On the meaning of symbols
Without us always being aware of it, symbols and signs accompany us through daily life: Traffic lights and road signs, professional symbols, identification signs, company symbols, information boards, national emblems, national flags, license plates, orders, party and association badges, coats of arms, etc. The message of signs should be unambiguous, immediate and easy to understand. Symbols, on the other hand, are visual signs, images, figures that represent one, or [...]
Legendary warrior women
For many centuries, the use of armed female combatants was taboo in European culture. Weapons were carried exclusively by men. However, there were exceptions up to modern times, and not only in antiquity. The best known is the battle of the Greeks with Achilles against the Amazons with their queen Penthesilea described in the Iliad, the Henry of [...]
Enigmatic gold maker
Gold is a rare, incredibly fascinating metal that is held in the highest esteem in virtually all world cultures. In Africa and the Ancient Americas as well as in Europe, India, China and Japan. No wonder that people not only wanted to explore it laboriously, but sought ways and means to produce it artificially. Alchemists In an effort to find the multiple [...]