Being CS

Markus Rogan on Austria

Those who know me, know how I miss and appreciate Vienna nowadays. Those that know me well also know my problems with my home country, and I have seldom heard them summarized better, than in this interview of Markus Rogan, fellow Austrian and recent Stanford graduate, with the Stanford Daily.

“In Austria, there is a national culture of being mediocre. I think they have just lost too often,” Rogan said. [...] “[Austrians] are perfectly happy to be in the middle,” Rogan said. “They don’t want to be the best, they don’t want to be the worst.”

Though I do think that there are things that many countries could learn from Austria (emphasis on health, nature, and natural food; universal health care system, and some aspects of the social security system), I think that the lack of emphasis on determination and success is a fundamental deficiency. People trying to excel by entering competitions, or engaging themselves too much in particular subjects are often discouraged or ignored. There is also a habit of making oneself look less successful, so as to avoid envy, which is a seldom found practice in other countries. Finally, people who are innovative or try something different are often looked down on.
I hope that future generations will put more emphasis on success and innovation, so that this development can be reversed.

Posted by Can Sar at August 17, 2004 05:54 AM to category Miscellaneous | TrackBack