Security in Times of Change
Constant change is a characteristic of the modern age. Working and living environments are in a perpetual state of flux, traditional allegiances and certainties are dissolving, the new is ousting the old. This dynamic has increased further with the end of the bipolar world and the onset of a new phase of globalisation.
The last 30 years have been a period of accelerated discontinuity. This holds true for economics, technology and culture as much as for the individual. An increasing desire for security, consistency and belonging echoes this process. There is evidently a need for a certain “security corridor” to be able to risk change. Only those who feel reasonably secure will regard globalisation or the digital revolution as an opportunity rather than a threat.
Security is not an end in itself but a fundamental level of security is a prerequisite for anyone to fulfil their potential. “Freedom from fear” is the mother of all freedoms.
The Center for Liberal Modernity based in Berlin has published a report following this key question: what kind of reassurances does our pluralist society need to face technical, social and cultural change with self-confidence instead of fear?
The report is devided in four chapters:
- Empowerment of the individual
- The future of social security
- Internal security
- Public institutions and an active civil society
Read the Summary in English or download the full report (in German only).
www.praeventionstag.de
