Taking responsibility instead of only commenting

Politics interested me early. Even in school I engaged intensively with political and social questions. Democracy, social responsibility and the question of how community can succeed were never abstract topics for me.

Still, there was one concrete moment that turned interest into active engagement.

The trigger was an information event in our former district in Munich. I did not go there as a party person. I wanted to listen, understand and form my own picture. I left with the clear feeling that something was fundamentally wrong in society.

What I perceived that evening was, to me, not constructive criticism.

Constructive criticism wants to improve. It names problems, looks for solutions and takes responsibility. What I experienced there was, from my perspective, something different: division as a method. Agitation as a political tool. Stoking fear. Devaluing people. Deliberately pitting groups against each other, as if a society could become better by making others smaller.

I had the impression that it was not about better solutions, but about mood, outrage and one's own political advantage – even when people were demeaned or social divides deepened.

I reject this kind of politics.

Not because I cannot take criticism. Not because I believe everything is going well. On the contrary: democracy needs honest criticism, clear words and the courage to name problems openly. But democracy must not play people off against each other. It must not live off devaluing groups. And it must not normalize inhuman language and exclusion as a means of political mobilization.

That evening I went home and said to my wife: I must and want to get involved politically.

Not just talking about what bothers me. Not just standing on the sidelines hoping others will push back. But taking responsibility myself.

After this experience, I deliberately explored where I could contribute most meaningfully. I visited different parties, groups and local associations to see where I would be best placed with my stance, my experience and my way of thinking.

In the end, I chose the SPD.

The decisive factor was not a single manifesto, nor the wish to belong somewhere. What mattered was my impression that society was most broadly represented in the Ortsverein Obergiesing-Fasangarten: different generations, different professions, different life paths, people from the middle of everyday life.

The discussions there were controversial, sometimes uncomfortable, but lively. That is exactly what I liked. I had the impression that democratic debate was not merely claimed there, but actually lived.

From the beginning, it was important to me to be clear about how I contribute: as an independent, self-reliant and critically thinking person. I speak for myself, with my experience, my convictions and my responsibility. That also means raising intra-party issues openly, asking critical questions and not automatically adopting every position.

For me, my SPD membership is not ideological, but values- and principle-based.

I get involved because social responsibility, democratic cohesion, respect, education, economic reason and responsibility for one another matter to me. I see my entrepreneurial perspective not as a contradiction, but as a complement. Good politics needs values, but it also needs realism, feasibility and an eye for how decisions play out in everyday life.

When we moved to Saarland in 2023, it was clear to me that I wanted to continue to be politically active in my old and new home. So I joined the SPD Ortsverein Hülzweiler and was quickly able to contribute to the board's work.

Since 2024 I hold a mandate in the municipal council Schwalbach/Saar and in the Ortsrat Hülzweiler. In the council I was also elected as one of three Beigeordnete.

This local political work is varied, concrete and close to people. That is exactly what I value about it. It is about decisions that are felt on the ground: districts, associations, families, infrastructure, administration, voluntary work, cohesion and future viability.

For me, local politics is where democracy becomes immediate. You see what you decide about. You meet the people it affects. And you quickly learn that good politics is not made of slogans, but of listening, weighing, explaining and getting things done.