A Day In Eden
A short reflection of the Augsburg Conference 2025
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the “Eden festival” in Augsburg. I had no prior knowledge of this event or the greater “Eden culture”. A dear friend of mine, who had been part of the movement and attended the event four years ago, spontaneously suggested that we go together. Even upon being invited, I made no effort to inform myself about what I had just gotten myself into. I wanted to be surprised. In retrospect, no amount of preparation would have been able to anticipate the experience I was going to have. It ended up being a group of three of us who decided to make the journey from Munich to Augsburg on that rainy Saturday.
As I have now learned, Eden culture is the movement that emerged from the book written by the German theologian and philosopher Johannes Hartl, entitled “Eden Culture: The Ecology of the Heart for a New Tomorrow” (the title sounds a bit odd when translated into English). In the book, Hartl identifies the aspects of our lives that nourish our soul and thus lead to a fulfilling life. The triad he focuses on is our connection to others, a purpose-oriented life and unadulterated beauty. The Author, like many people today, recognised the dire state our society is in as we have disregarded these key aspects of our lives, optimising for other variables instead. The overwhelming feelings of disconnection, purposelessness and loneliness, along with the growing numbers of depression and deaths of despair, highlight that we are ready for a shift. Ready for Cultural change. The festival ( which was more of a conference) aimed to create a space for people to discuss where we want to be heading as a society, what values we want to prioritise and what the longed-for paradise of “Eden” will look like.
It was a truly magical day. People brought so much positive energy along with their creative ideas and anecdotes, which created the perfect setting for interesting and inspiring discussions. Through conversations, I got the sense that there was a yearning to reconnect to the root values of our Western society — Christian values. To create a future with a human face instead of one that is dominated by technology. Furthermore, it was the Christian flair of the event that delivered many insights to me. Besides a plethora of spiritually nourishing experiences and exchanges I had, the core Idea of Christianity, which I discussed in great detail with many attendees, is what birthed a guiding model that I want to apply moving forward.
Christianity is based on following the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. I believe therein lies the perfect antidote to our society’s illness of hyperindividualism. That’s because Jesus’ life is the prime example of sacrificing your life for others, for a higher purpose.
“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit” - Ancient Greek proverb
In other words, if we take responsibility, firstly for ourselves and then for our surroundings and aim for better and sacrifice for something higher than our short-term hedonistic desires, we will have a real shot at improvement.
In one of the conversations I had on that day, a nurse and I discussed the purpose of this conference and how we as individuals could effect change in our daily lives. She reminded me that simply attending this conference is not enough. The whole event was there to inspire us, but the task of change would only begin after we had returned to our daily lives. Too many of us are caught up in this virtual reality, disconnected from the real world and its feedback and consequences. As a result, we believe taking definitive action means posting a square on Instagram, waving a flag, not attending school as a protest or taking part in the cancellation of someone.
Real change begins when every individual shoulders their weight. Not relying on politicians to change your own, your family’s, your city’s or your nation's well-being. Everybody is unhappy with the state of the country, city or village that they live in, with our society as a whole. Yet, too many folks I talk to have an ( unrealistic) 5 to 10-year plan of becoming a millionaire and then “chilling” for the rest of their time, not wanting to take responsibility. Very few people I know are actively aiming towards betterment. That makes no sense to me.
I have thought a lot about how I can sacrifice for the higher and better. I have experienced and am witnessing a lot of disconnect. I want to serve my community and bring about improvement. How? I feel like there is a big lack and depreciation of the trades and a general disconnect from how we create. That is why I am undertaking carpentry schooling as I write this. Furthermore, I am beginning to engage more with my community as a local firefighter and learn more about construction and agriculture from the local people. I have come up with a list of skills I want to learn, which will not only get me a step further in self-reliance but will further help me serve and contribute to my community and family.