Outlook. How do We Manage the Unpredictable?

Abstract

The study discussed above, about the example of Germany, has clearly shown that this is not a special case. Every country and every culture comes to a point of ultimate necessity, where there is no option but to change. For Germany, for example, this was the Second World War, for Russia the end of communism, for China the overcoming of the Cultural Revolution, and for the Americans it is the presidency of a man totally unsuited to the job. Comparable caesuras can be found in the life courses of individuals. Whether it is during puberty, after the death of a partner, or after massive surprises, nothing remains as it was before. Personal and societal change are two sides of the same coin. The timing of this moment of unavoidable change has to do with personal, social, political, economic and historical conditions.