[Music]
[Music]
we and the others we and them those who
are different who think different who
look different from us we grow up in
society’s great creating differences
creating us and the other even just by
the way we talk we create others but did
you ever ask yourself who you are and
where do you belong and even if you
didn’t ask yourself of course someone
asked you where are you from all of us
know this question and if you may be the
one who asked the question was not
really satisfied by your answer if you
don’t really look the way he expected if
you come from this country so the next
question is inevitable no no where are
you really from as if you were lying why
should you be lying so we know this
question and we know that question after
it and after the people get to know
where you’re really from and know your
origins then they they have another
question because they wonder but why is
your German so good I mean your German
is so good so don’t get me wrong I don’t
want you to feel bad if you ask someone
in your life where he or she is from but
is it really so important to ask someone
you just got to know immediately where
he is from what she where she is from
so I’m just wondering who are they who
are we and where do you belong and did
you ever say also think about it maybe
well how it could affect someone you ask
where are you from or who is asked no no
where are you really from so this is a
question I think which is important we
have to be aware on
even if you ask them where are you from
doesn’t it imply that you tell them
you’re not from here you don’t belong so
there’s a study published 2007 in the
Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology and it shows that human
beings need to belong they need to
belong to one another they need to
belong to their families to their
friends to a country to a culture to the
world so belonging is fundamental for
our sense of happiness and well-being
belonging has a lot of consequences our
interests our motivation and even our
health and our happiness are tied to the
feeling that we belong so but we have
fixed images we think we know what a
professor looks like what a cleaning
lady looks like we think we know what a
refugee looks like we think we know many
people tell me about their experiences
when they make for example phone calls
and talk about certain issues and then
they tell their names and then they
recognize okay the other person is
wandering or even if they meet the
person it’s like oh I didn’t think
you’re different so yes we live we live
in a diverse world and diversity is our
reality
I mean how boring would it be if we all
look the same also a question who could
think about so I think what what is
important is to concentrate on what
unifies us and not on what is makes what
makes us different but there’s not only
one truth or one reality how we see the
world how we perceive the world is
shaped of our perspectives our education
our social class our experiences all of
this thing’s shaped the way we perceive
the world and also shaped the way we
classify and categorize and lay
people so with we need to listen to
different perspectives otherwise who
will miss out on so much in this life
because everyone has his own perspective
and his own story so I think we also
need to especially listen to those who
have lost their voices people who have
lost the voices we should help them gain
the voice again and especially in times
like these where we have right-wing
parties increasing which are vastly
increasing in popularity where we have
organized hate crimes where we have so
many things it’s the time where it’s
important and where we need to stick to
the facts and bring people back together
we need to connect them through telling
their stories and rather than dividing
them or spreading hatred amongst them by
telling how different they are so as
journalists we have the ethical
obligation to consider all facts and to
listen to everyone we are the embodied
hope of so many people who have lost
their voices and who have no hope and
also those who have faced a lot of
injustice we need to hold those
accountable who violate human rights we
have the power to connect people through
telling their stories as example or
let’s talk about refugees refugees a
word what which picture do you have if
you are here the world refugee maybe it
seems like a big faceless mass with no
voice just homogeneous mass we see
refugees maybe also often Aslam burs and
I wanted to change that I saw them under
a spray represented and in most of the
discussions where we talk about refugees
we make them to object it’s not to not
to jump subjects who they are they
subjects subjects who can take their
life in their hands and decide for
themselves so I think we must listen to
different people to understand their
perspective and to be able to see the
bigger picture at Birth nobody asks you
who would you like to have as your
mother and who would you like to have as
your father and which country and which
nationality would you like to choose
some things are just given we can’t
change them and we don’t have any say
whatsoever in it we are born we’re
giving a nationality and with this the
grace of living in peace and freedom or
not during history class back at school
I thought war belongs to the past
I thought war is something with Chelm
and should and will never happen again
but I had to see and to recognize that
war is part of our reality and we can
choose if we want to ignore it or if we
want to recognize it it really got under
my skin when I met so many people who
survived war and who came to Europe and
I really recognized how privileged and
how blessed I am when I was in Turkey
and in Greece and on the balcony ought
to make some research from my book I
wrote about or with refugees and about
their stories many people thought I
myself I’m fleeing to Europe so it was a
new thought for me that yes maybe it
could have been me it could have been me
who is sitting in Turkey and waiting for
the smuggler to take her to the boat and
to come to Europe so also in Greece when
I showed my Austrian passport to the
officer and he looked multiple times on
it in disbelief it was like yes it could
have been me and that’s why it it we
can’t say it doesn’t matter to us
because it could also have been you it
could have been us and you know what
when I met so many people who who did so
many stuff to stay
life and to look for a better future I
really realized how valuable life is
often we take being alive as
self-evident but it is not self-evident
so being life is a blessing and
privilege and yes maybe we cannot define
our nationality our background our skin
color but still still we are powerful
because we can define who we are and who
we want to be so don’t let others define
who you are don’t let others define who
you will be stand up and get your voice
and speak for yourself because it’s your
life the past years as I saw as I said I
met many people who left the countries
and whoever lost everything I wanted to
tell the stories I wanted to give them
their voice by my men and I also helped
translating to give something back I had
to see for myself what they have to face
with challengers who they have to face
to come to Europe and live the way we
live
so I remember this one night on the
austrian-hungarian border in nickel
stove where I was translating and where
people kept coming and coming and coming
and it was very late or maybe it was
even morning and most of the people who
have gotten on the buses and left and
then I found a woman with her children
and their grandmother and I went to them
and I thought okay maybe it’s time for a
joke I went to her and said okay hello
sorry ma’am
you’re too late you’ve missed your
flight you have to wait here two hours
so we we’ve laughed a lot and we have we
really enjoyed our time we talked we
talked a lot but I could see how how how
she had no strength she was so exhausted
she could she could not even move her
legs but somehow something from within
gave her strength maybe it was the
vision of having a new home or the
vision of belonging somewhere new and
when we were sitting we were talking
about everything we were talking about
all the Egyptian movies and we were
songs and although at the beginning I
was really I felt sorry for her because
she had to wait so long and this cold
and rainy night at the end it was not so
easy to say goodbye because we really
enjoyed our day at our time so I really
learned from her and from many people I
met that you can always concentrate on
the positive sides of life and you can
always look at the health full glass and
it’s always it’s always possible to
reach for what you want and for to fight
for what you want
her name was Mona and when we when I
came back she got to the bus and we have
we had to say goodbye very quickly and
this moment she told me they’re mean I’m
I’m really happy I could meet you I now
I know my daughter will belong and now I
know my daughter will have the
opportunities to be the one she wants to
be so what we often forgot is forget is
that behind those numbers behind those
refugees there are individuals there are
individuals such like Mona and they have
their stories and they have their very
own destinies and I made it my mission
to put a spotlight on these people to
put a spotlight on marginalized group
who we don’t ask and even Syrians or
even refugees we all we maybe think okay
those are refugees but we never maybe we
don’t think who are they we don’t ask
them about their life they had a life
before the war started they where they
are more than just refugees so we have
very often like fixed images and I think
it’s important to get distinguished
pictures and to get to know the people
and talk to them so if we look even if
we have a picture if you if we look at a
picture we in fact only see a small part
because there’s still a lot cut out and
we will also always see different stuff
in this picture depending on our own
personality on our own experiences on
our own perception of the world so what
I think is important is that we let let
him like but let there be discussion
allow other perspective in our small
little worldview listen to people with
different backgrounds different cultures
different nations make your own
experience with the so called others and
yeah the question is who are they and
who are we and what is the difference
and where are we
or where are you are you somewhere in
between you don’t have to be you don’t
have to fit into a box
you can be whoever you want and that is
very important because it doesn’t matter
what the other people think who you are
or where you belong it’s important who
you want to be and it’s important what
your inner passion is and you should
reach out for that so there is no us and
there is no day there is no us and there
is no day we are all humans and we all
have the right to belong where we are to
belong where we want to belong and to be
whoever we want to be thanked
you
[Music]
[Music]
we and the others we and them those who
are different who think different who
look different from us we grow up in
society’s great creating differences
creating us and the other even just by
the way we talk we create others but did
you ever ask yourself who you are and
where do you belong and even if you
didn’t ask yourself of course someone
asked you where are you from all of us
know this question and if you may be the
one who asked the question was not
really satisfied by your answer if you
don’t really look the way he expected if
you come from this country so the next
question is inevitable no no where are
you really from as if you were lying why
should you be lying so we know this
question and we know that question after
it and after the people get to know
where you’re really from and know your
origins then they they have another
question because they wonder but why is
your German so good I mean your German
is so good so don’t get me wrong I don’t
want you to feel bad if you ask someone
in your life where he or she is from but
is it really so important to ask someone
you just got to know immediately where
he is from what she where she is from
so I’m just wondering who are they who
are we and where do you belong and did
you ever say also think about it maybe
well how it could affect someone you ask
where are you from or who is asked no no
where are you really from so this is a
question I think which is important we
have to be aware on
even if you ask them where are you from
doesn’t it imply that you tell them
you’re not from here you don’t belong so
there’s a study published 2007 in the
Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology and it shows that human
beings need to belong they need to
belong to one another they need to
belong to their families to their
friends to a country to a culture to the
world so belonging is fundamental for
our sense of happiness and well-being
belonging has a lot of consequences our
interests our motivation and even our
health and our happiness are tied to the
feeling that we belong so but we have
fixed images we think we know what a
professor looks like what a cleaning
lady looks like we think we know what a
refugee looks like we think we know many
people tell me about their experiences
when they make for example phone calls
and talk about certain issues and then
they tell their names and then they
recognize okay the other person is
wandering or even if they meet the
person it’s like oh I didn’t think
you’re different so yes we live we live
in a diverse world and diversity is our
reality
I mean how boring would it be if we all
look the same also a question who could
think about so I think what what is
important is to concentrate on what
unifies us and not on what is makes what
makes us different but there’s not only
one truth or one reality how we see the
world how we perceive the world is
shaped of our perspectives our education
our social class our experiences all of
this thing’s shaped the way we perceive
the world and also shaped the way we
classify and categorize and lay
people so with we need to listen to
different perspectives otherwise who
will miss out on so much in this life
because everyone has his own perspective
and his own story so I think we also
need to especially listen to those who
have lost their voices people who have
lost the voices we should help them gain
the voice again and especially in times
like these where we have right-wing
parties increasing which are vastly
increasing in popularity where we have
organized hate crimes where we have so
many things it’s the time where it’s
important and where we need to stick to
the facts and bring people back together
we need to connect them through telling
their stories and rather than dividing
them or spreading hatred amongst them by
telling how different they are so as
journalists we have the ethical
obligation to consider all facts and to
listen to everyone we are the embodied
hope of so many people who have lost
their voices and who have no hope and
also those who have faced a lot of
injustice we need to hold those
accountable who violate human rights we
have the power to connect people through
telling their stories as example or
let’s talk about refugees refugees a
word what which picture do you have if
you are here the world refugee maybe it
seems like a big faceless mass with no
voice just homogeneous mass we see
refugees maybe also often Aslam burs and
I wanted to change that I saw them under
a spray represented and in most of the
discussions where we talk about refugees
we make them to object it’s not to not
to jump subjects who they are they
subjects subjects who can take their
life in their hands and decide for
themselves so I think we must listen to
different people to understand their
perspective and to be able to see the
bigger picture at Birth nobody asks you
who would you like to have as your
mother and who would you like to have as
your father and which country and which
nationality would you like to choose
some things are just given we can’t
change them and we don’t have any say
whatsoever in it we are born we’re
giving a nationality and with this the
grace of living in peace and freedom or
not during history class back at school
I thought war belongs to the past
I thought war is something with Chelm
and should and will never happen again
but I had to see and to recognize that
war is part of our reality and we can
choose if we want to ignore it or if we
want to recognize it it really got under
my skin when I met so many people who
survived war and who came to Europe and
I really recognized how privileged and
how blessed I am when I was in Turkey
and in Greece and on the balcony ought
to make some research from my book I
wrote about or with refugees and about
their stories many people thought I
myself I’m fleeing to Europe so it was a
new thought for me that yes maybe it
could have been me it could have been me
who is sitting in Turkey and waiting for
the smuggler to take her to the boat and
to come to Europe so also in Greece when
I showed my Austrian passport to the
officer and he looked multiple times on
it in disbelief it was like yes it could
have been me and that’s why it it we
can’t say it doesn’t matter to us
because it could also have been you it
could have been us and you know what
when I met so many people who who did so
many stuff to stay
life and to look for a better future I
really realized how valuable life is
often we take being alive as
self-evident but it is not self-evident
so being life is a blessing and
privilege and yes maybe we cannot define
our nationality our background our skin
color but still still we are powerful
because we can define who we are and who
we want to be so don’t let others define
who you are don’t let others define who
you will be stand up and get your voice
and speak for yourself because it’s your
life the past years as I saw as I said I
met many people who left the countries
and whoever lost everything I wanted to
tell the stories I wanted to give them
their voice by my men and I also helped
translating to give something back I had
to see for myself what they have to face
with challengers who they have to face
to come to Europe and live the way we
live
so I remember this one night on the
austrian-hungarian border in nickel
stove where I was translating and where
people kept coming and coming and coming
and it was very late or maybe it was
even morning and most of the people who
have gotten on the buses and left and
then I found a woman with her children
and their grandmother and I went to them
and I thought okay maybe it’s time for a
joke I went to her and said okay hello
sorry ma’am
you’re too late you’ve missed your
flight you have to wait here two hours
so we we’ve laughed a lot and we have we
really enjoyed our time we talked we
talked a lot but I could see how how how
she had no strength she was so exhausted
she could she could not even move her
legs but somehow something from within
gave her strength maybe it was the
vision of having a new home or the
vision of belonging somewhere new and
when we were sitting we were talking
about everything we were talking about
all the Egyptian movies and we were
songs and although at the beginning I
was really I felt sorry for her because
she had to wait so long and this cold
and rainy night at the end it was not so
easy to say goodbye because we really
enjoyed our day at our time so I really
learned from her and from many people I
met that you can always concentrate on
the positive sides of life and you can
always look at the health full glass and
it’s always it’s always possible to
reach for what you want and for to fight
for what you want
her name was Mona and when we when I
came back she got to the bus and we have
we had to say goodbye very quickly and
this moment she told me they’re mean I’m
I’m really happy I could meet you I now
I know my daughter will belong and now I
know my daughter will have the
opportunities to be the one she wants to
be so what we often forgot is forget is
that behind those numbers behind those
refugees there are individuals there are
individuals such like Mona and they have
their stories and they have their very
own destinies and I made it my mission
to put a spotlight on these people to
put a spotlight on marginalized group
who we don’t ask and even Syrians or
even refugees we all we maybe think okay
those are refugees but we never maybe we
don’t think who are they we don’t ask
them about their life they had a life
before the war started they where they
are more than just refugees so we have
very often like fixed images and I think
it’s important to get distinguished
pictures and to get to know the people
and talk to them so if we look even if
we have a picture if you if we look at a
picture we in fact only see a small part
because there’s still a lot cut out and
we will also always see different stuff
in this picture depending on our own
personality on our own experiences on
our own perception of the world so what
I think is important is that we let let
him like but let there be discussion
allow other perspective in our small
little worldview listen to people with
different backgrounds different cultures
different nations make your own
experience with the so called others and
yeah the question is who are they and
who are we and what is the difference
and where are we
or where are you are you somewhere in
between you don’t have to be you don’t
have to fit into a box
you can be whoever you want and that is
very important because it doesn’t matter
what the other people think who you are
or where you belong it’s important who
you want to be and it’s important what
your inner passion is and you should
reach out for that so there is no us and
there is no day there is no us and there
is no day we are all humans and we all
have the right to belong where we are to
belong where we want to belong and to be
whoever we want to be thanked
you
[Music]
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