Morning Stories

"Your story today is political again, Christian." Hmm. True. But that wasn't intentional — there was no deliberate plan to make this story political. Why? Because the perfectly ordinary lives we all lead always carry political weight.

For a long time, Kurt had slipped from my memory. But here in 2026, he's back: Kurt Tucholsky, the passionate, pen-wielding fighter against war.

"Stand up! Right now!" How can anyone resist such an enticing and friendly invitation? After all, it's not every day you're graced with such a request. And yet you do it anyway — that whole standing-up thing. Who wants to be known as someone who was "left sitting" or "left lying around"? Exactly.

Domino, in and of itself, doesn't go in for showmanship-effect. Because domino is the effect — the moment things start to fall. All it takes is a single tile as the trigger, and the wall begins to tumble. Really, you only need a modest construction, seasoned with a bit of imagination, to build something elegant and evenly spaced. And then the domino effect simply takes its free fall.

Not sure if “teambuilding” is actually an abbreviation. But if it were, maybe it stands for: “Terrific—someone else does it.”

“Oh boy! Cott the crap!” That’s how I used to understand the word boycott, at least when I heard it from an English-speaking mouth. And even clearer understanding dawns when the thing called a boycott actually takes effect.

Good grief – how inspiring were the boyhood years, when cowboys and Indians populated the black-and-white, tiny little television screen. When Colts were constantly smoking, the Bonanza Ranch hosted the first men's group home, and the giant John Wayne was busy cleaning up the Wild West. Good grief – how discoloured and yellowed this romance appears today. Isn't it?

The path of least resistance is hardly worth mentioning. It’s forgotten the moment a new object of curiosity comes into view. Or, to put it more bluntly: the path is gone.

Those three little letters — PRO — sound like a declaration of approval. Pro Paganda almost seems like something positive, as if one were for this kind of communication. But that’s an illusion. “Pro” is neither good nor bad; it’s merely directional — for or against something. Nothing more. No judgment, no virtue, no quality seal attached.

Once upon a time, there was that one story — the one where a camel was told to pass through the eye of a needle. Clear as mud, right?