A DAY IN BERLIN - The world is changing and today's experiences underline this fact. The Germans, once known as the most organized and advanced people seem to have lost their edge. On the other hand, a country founded just over half a century ago appears to have everything under control and is steering towards prosperity.

When I dropped off my girlfriend at terminal C of Berlin Schönefeld airport, the security was tougher than everywhere else I had ever been to. There was a tank parked in front of the terminal, sorrounded by numerous Mossad agents to guard the outside gate. I accompanied Sonat through the first gate, where I was already asked a couple of questions. After a very nice person had welcomed us, we were seperated. The security checks were performed in an extremely efficient and professional manner. I know, because one of the agents came over to “talk” with me a little bit as well, even though I was not flying anywhere. ElAl wanted to make sure that the partner of a passenger was as kosher as the the person getting on the flight. No other airline has ever done that in my presence. Yet, it didn’t feel weird at all – it felt right and necessary. There is no room for error or slacking. Israelis know what they are doing, at least when it comes to security, customer service, and technology.

It was shocking to see the possible level of teamwork and drive for perfectionism in Berlin. Germans, who used to be known for exactly these traits, have rested on ther laurels for too long. The economy is stagnant and people are getting obese. The future is not looking bright for this country, because its people have become arrogant and lazy. In addition, friendliness is not widespread among Germans. All of these issues were underlined by a theater event I attended tonight. People here want to be trendy and associate such a lifestyle with a certain level of arrogance, which they are not wary to show. The exact numbers are unkown, but unemployment in this area hovers around 35%, and the ones working are not happy with it either. Maybe they were unwilling because of my Austrian nationality, but no one was able to tell me where to go to see my neighbor’s theater show. To quote SternTV of today: “The sun is going down in Germany.”