Next stop: pause for thought

Run for the train or ponder life? Executive director Nora Wilhelm is sure: If we stopped and took a pause to think, the world would look different. 

In quick steps, I cross the hall of the crowded Bern train station. I have to dodge several passers-by, call out "Excuse me," hurry down the aisle, up the stairs, and jump onto the train just as the whistle blows. Whew, barely made it! Swiss punctuality is not to be trifled with. If for once I don't sprint onto the train, but walk leisurely to the platform, others run past me. At some point, as others dash by, you may ask yourself: Where are we running to? Collectively, we are running towards the end of our civilization.

The world as we know it and have shaped it over the past centuries is crumbling everywhere we look. Even those who devised our economic system are beginning to doubt it. Social inequality is on the rise worldwide, and with it political unrest. We have already lost more than half of our biodiversity. And in the middle of it all: Switzerland. Our country, our democracy is considered aspirational, the level of education is high, economic growth is stable, you can swim in our lakes, the mountain landscape is wonderful. We have it good on our little island of progress.

But if we consider what it takes to maintain this seemingly perfect spot, the picture is much less exemplary. In May, Swiss people already used up all the resources we were entitled to for the entire year if we wanted to allow the planet to regenerate. Our carbon footprint is shockingly high, and we are world champions when it comes to flying. We are also stuck in a big story, in a narrative of constant growth, where happiness and satisfaction are based on the next purchase, the next promotion. The motto is always more, everywhere, although even laypeople can see that the concept of exponential growth makes no sense on a finite planet. While we won't be the first to witness our land sink in rising oceans or have to flee drought due to global warming, the concept of "faster and faster" has consequences for us personally as well: The pressure to perform in society is high, the number of burnouts is increasing - and I am no exception, writing these lines in a hurry and under time pressure. And instead of pulling the emergency brake, we are accelerating until the wheels come off the rails.

Switzerland is a country famous for watches. I'd rather not see this cultural peculiarity as a dictate and time pressure, but a kind of appreciation, an acceptance that time is our most important commodity.

But pausing does not enjoy a good reputation today. We celebrate (over)doing and identify ourselves with our actions. If, on the other hand, we were to pause, we could perhaps take a look at where we're headed and ask ourselves whether we shouldn't change course. This moment of stillness, of reflection is necessary. After all, we have to be able to imagine an alternative before we can act on it. And so I would encourage all of us to ask ourselves: What are our values, and what would happen if we lived consistently according to them? If we would not only think about ourselves, but about the community? I am convinced that we would then be able to shape Switzerland the way we want it to be. With every decision we make, we shape our future. Let's consciously take the time to get on the right train.

Nora Wilhelm (25 at time of publication), who grew up in Geneva, is co-founder and managing director of collaboratio helvetica, a platform for dialogue and collaboration. She can be found more often on the train than at home in Bern (also at time of publication, this improved over the last years and was also majorly impacted by the pandemic)

This article was originally published in German in the magazine Annabelle in 2018. On the occasion of their 80th anniversary, they chose 80 outstanding Swiss women and awarded them the title of "Schweizermacherinnen" - loosely translating to Swiss Makers, or women who make Switzerland. This is a minimally edited and self-translated version. You can read the original publication here.