Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier says in his Christmas address that the state is challenged, but it also depends on the individual. “The state cannot put on the protective mask for us, nor can it be vaccinated for us.”
We document the Christmas speech in the wording:
“Dear compatriots, at Christmas my wife and I send you a very warm greeting! Whether you spend these hours alone or with the family, whether in a festively decorated apartment or on the night shift, whether in the room of a retirement home, as a nurse or doctor on the ward or as a duty officer, wherever you are: a happy and blessed festival to all of you!
When we look back at this year, we see many things that have worried us, and also many things that have scared us. We think of the terrible flood disaster in summer. We think of our soldiers who returned from Afghanistan, and also of the people who remained there in need and hunger. We are concerned about what we hear from many parts of our troubled world, especially from Eastern Europe.
At the same time, there was a lot this year that gives us hope: I think of the huge solidarity with the flood victims, of donations and, above all, a lot of active help. I think of the many – young and not so young – people who are committed to protecting the environment and the climate. And I think of all of you who have cast your vote in important elections, and of the manner in which democratic transition is made in mutual respect. Many people are now looking with curiosity, also with hope, for a new federal government that has big plans for our country.
Above all, however, I am thinking of the voluntary work in all corners of our society. So much happens in silence day after day, so many lend a hand as a matter of course. Day after day, they all create the network that unites and holds our society together for good.
Yes, and then there is Corona. For almost two years now, the pandemic has been shaping our lives, here and around the world. Seldom have we experienced so closely how endangered our human life is and how unpredictable the future is – the next month, the next week, even the next day. Right now we have to restrict ourselves more to protect against a new virus variant.
But we have also learned that we are not powerless. We can protect ourselves and others! I am glad that most of them recognized the opportunity that lies in the vaccination. How much grave suffering, how many deaths, has already been prevented to this day.
Our state has rarely been so challenged to protect the life and limb of its citizens. To do this, he needs competent scientists, doctors, responsible law enforcement officers and employees in the offices. They are all doing their best. And they all gain new knowledge, correct assumptions that have been proven to be wrong, and adapt measures. People can be wrong, but they also learn.
So the state is challenged, it has to act, but not it alone. The state cannot put on the protective mask for us, nor can it be vaccinated for us. No, it depends on us, on each and every one of us!
I would like to thank the large, often silent majority in our country from the bottom of my heart, who have been acting prudently and responsibly for months. Because she has recognized: We depend on each other more than ever – I depend on others and others on myself.
Of course there is also a dispute. Of course there are uncertainties and fears and it is important to speak out about them. Nobody is prevented from doing this with us. What matters is how we talk about it – in the family, among friends, in public. We feel: after two years, frustration is spreading, irritation, alienation and unfortunately also open aggression. It’s true: in a democracy we don’t all have to agree. But please let us remember: We are one country! We must still be able to look each other in the eye after the pandemic. And we want to live together even after the pandemic.
The pandemic will not suddenly be over one day. It will keep us busy for a long time. And it is already changing us today, right down to our everyday language. Not only have new terms been added, from ‘incidence’ to ‘2G plus’. Our old, precious words are also given a new, urgent weight.
For example, what does trust mean? Of course not ‘blind trust’. But doesn’t trust also mean that I rely on competent advice, even if my own doubts have not been completely overcome?
Or freedom: is freedom the loud protest against every regulation? Or doesn’t freedom sometimes also mean restricting myself in order to protect the freedom of others?
What does responsibility mean? Do we just say: ‘Everyone has to decide for themselves’? Or does my decision not really affect many others?
Freedom, trust, responsibility: we will have to come to an understanding about what that means – also in the future and on other major issues such as climate protection. Here, too, there won’t just be one correct answer that will convince everyone. But we will always have to come to an understanding again. And I am sure: we can communicate. In truth, we have often proven that together.
Dear compatriots, It was on Christmas more than fifty years ago that people circled the moon for the first time. The older ones may still remember the pictures: Up there in space, at this moment of greatest human progress, it was there that our small, vulnerable earth became visible as never before. All progress began from here – and we all live on it, with our worries and hopes, with our suffering and our happiness.
At that time the three astronauts of Apollo 8 read the beginning of the biblical story of creation, and they concluded their Christmas message with the words: ‘God bless you all on the good earth.’
Dear compatriots: My wife and I wish you and us tonight that it will remain the good earth for all of us, that there will be a good future for all of us. Merry Christmas!”