The Devil's Pond

Fairy tales about human weakness and strength in the face of the devilish temptations of evil Once upon a time, there was a pond called the Devil's Pond in the Orléans area. Since the Middle Ages, many stories have been told about it, which have survived to this day and can be applied to modern times. The author was inspired by fairy tales from his childhood. In the past, such fairy tales were used to educate the children of kings and the elite, teaching them to think and act ethically and to strive for moral behaviour. Fairy tales always have a moral message, even if this is considered outdated by a large part of the population today. Especially in times of upheaval in the existing world order due to wars, epidemics and natural disasters, the weaknesses of human beings and the absurdity of their actions ultimately become apparent. In particular, the neoliberal economic policies of recent years, the relocation of a large part of production and the dependence of most of the world on one or two countries make it clear how high the price of short-term greed for power and wealth is for humanity. It is therefore time to rethink everything and remember some fairy tales and stories. The author does not want to be a moralist or a know-it-all; he is simply trying to hold up a mirror to all of us, including himself, with this little fairy tale in the hope that we will all return to the essentials in life.

A book in the style of a fairy tale that makes you think about what is really important in life. Fairy tales have always had a moral message, and these messages are still relevant today, given the global crises we face: pandemics, epidemics, natural disasters, wars, and how people deal with them.

Autorentext
Born in 1949, he grew up in France and graduated from an elite French university for industrial engineers. After moving to Germany, he studied economics, sociology, political science, philosophy and ethics. In the field of philosophy, he was strongly influenced by the philosophy and teachings of Zarathustra, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Rabelais, Michel de Montaigne, Baruch Spinoza, Thomas Aquinas, Ibn Khaldun, Niccolo Machiavelli, René Descartes, Blaise Pascal, Voltaire, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Gottfried W. Leibniz, Auguste Comte, Arthur Schopenhauer, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Karl Marx, Henri Bergson, Karl Popper, Karl Jaspers, and Erich Fromm. In the field of economics, he was strongly influenced by post-Keynesians and behavioural economists. He is highly critical of the teachings of Milton Friedman, the Chicago Boys, the Frederick School and Friedrich A. Hayek. His professional career first took him to an international organisation, where he worked for five years as a project controller for major water projects, mainly in Africa, and thanks to this, he was able to get to know a large number of countries and their leaders. He then worked for many years for a European organisation and several international consulting firms. He considers himself a critic of current globalisation and has been strongly committed to water management and economics issues since 1974. These experiences have given him a deep understanding of geopolitical issues and enabled him to assess current political developments, particularly in the context of economic interdependencies. Since his retirement, he has been living a secluded life in Bonn and working as a writer. In his publications, he focuses primarily on the pressing social, economic and political issues of our time, as well as water management. To date, he has published numerous works on politics and geopolitics, society and economics. Other key topics include health, identity, racism, the environment, migration, water management, Africa, demographic development and alternative economic systems such as anti-fragility economics. He has also published several short stories and fairy tales.