FOMO SAPIENS - An inspiring read and talk.

Earlier this year, I was invited to join a panel discussion in Wilhering - close to Linz. Forum Humanism (Forum Humanismus Wilhering e.V.) invited Valerie Huber - Austrian actress, UNICEF -ambassador, activist, author, and member of Generation Z - to present her book "FOMO SAPIENS | Are we missing out on the ideal world?".

As I found the whole event very inspiring, I share some insights and inputs here with you. First, about the book:

In 34 essays on the topics that are relevant to millennials and Gen Z, Valerie provides food for thought that helps overcome fears and look to the future with optimism. Valerie describes the challenges of our time honestly and bluntly. When overthinking, feelings of powerlessness, and fears about the future are omnipresent, is confidence still appropriate? Or does the fear of having missed out on the best remain? The topics include...

• Confidence in times of polycrisis: Why positive thinking is still worthwhile
• Are we all dissatisfied? A generation in the quarter-life crisis
• Fear of missing out or the longing for the ideal world of our childhood
• Personal happiness in times of crisis—is that even allowed?
• Solidarity, rethinking, humanity: Overcoming fears together

After Valerie's presentation, Dr. Peter G. Weixelbaumer asked me on-stage, to discuss with psychologist Raphaela Plasch , school representative at Stiftsgymnasium Wilhering Marlene Angerer und Abbot of Wilhering Abbey Reinhold Dessl about different perspectives on topics addressed in the book.

Chat GPT5.0 summarizes my panel-statements in following way (full transcript below):

Systemic Tensions & Self-Efficacy – two concepts shaping our time

At the Forum Humanismus in Wilhering we discussed the great challenges of our era: climate crisis, digital transformation, shifting values – and a society oscillating between overload, FOMO (fear-of-missing-out) and the desire for stability.

 👉 What strikes me: We live in an age full of systemic tensions.

• Seeking calm, yet constantly online, checking our phones.
• Loving nature, yet curating it on social media.
• Taking ecology seriously, yet embedded in the Global North.

These tensions won’t disappear. But recognizing them is the first step. Companies can lead by creating the right framework: clarifying values, living purpose, and embracing responsibility. Especially when balancing ecology and economy, it’s not about black and white – it’s about the courage to hold contradictions productively.

👉 What Europe needs:

Another key concept is self-efficacy. We cannot control everything happening globally – in the US, China, or Russia. But we can decide how, in Europe with 400 million consumers and a strong economy, we use our scope for action with confidence.

Instead of seeing ourselves as victims, we should:

• foster innovation,
• move forward with courage,
• and leverage our strengths – values, social systems, humanism – as a source of confidence.

The world is not black and white. But in Europe, and in our companies, we still have everything we need to shape the future responsibly and optimistically – with clarity, courage, and the ability to see challenges and tensions not as a blockade, but as a chance for growth.

The whole discussion was recorded by RADIO FRO ( Radio FRO 105.0 MHz ) and can be streamed here. (German language / original).

Here comes the full transcript of my part, translated to English language.

Peter Weixelbaumer:

Mr. Knogler, I would like to follow up on what you said, and Valerie has, so to speak, provided the perfect opportunity to do so—with all the crises we are facing, such as climate change, digital transformation, changing values, and political changes. All of this is affecting our society, which—one could say—is collectively overwhelmed, or perhaps even depressed.

Now many people are withdrawing, and there is an enormous longing for stability, security, and orientation. Probably also for relief from pressure. For a certain deceleration in contrast to speed. And at the same time, it is time – as Valerie also said very emphatically – to take action, to make changes, to do what needs to be done, and that we cannot or should not retreat. This is somewhat of a contradiction.

How can we as a society manage to do the right things, so to speak, and how can leading companies be role models and take action here?

Christoph Knogler:

First of all, thank you very much for the invitation. I am very pleased to be here today and thank you for the wonderful inspiration, Valerie. I highly recommend the book, which is also available as an audiobook—I really enjoyed listening to it.

So where are we today—in our time?

I would say that it is truly a difficult time. It's an exciting time, and you could also describe it as a time that brings with it a great deal of systemic tension.

When we talk about FOMO today – “the fear of missing out” – and consider how often we actually want peace and quiet and a positive environment, but then, as humans, we don't manage to enjoy it when we have it. Then we need that speed again.

I always notice this, sitting somewhere in a wellness area, whether it's at a spa or on vacation. And (instead of relaxing) people are glued to their cell phones, (staring on the screens) and can't wait to get the latest information again.

These tensions inherent in the system exist in various aspects. Closeness to nature versus “I want to show everyone that I've been out in nature” or climate protection versus “you want to make a contribution, but you're still part of a large society that belongs to the Global North, and we know that we're not doing the Global South any favors.”

So I think a first step could be to recognize this and then examine where this tension comes from.

One issue is, of course, technology. So let's compare today and back then. (By the way, I also raised my hand earlier when the question was asked who thought they had a better childhood than children have today. And I also thought a little bit about our children and how they spend their childhood.) Today, we have technology that is constantly around us. It is always there. You almost have to try a little to escape this technology in order to find peace. I am convinced that the big difference is that technology has massively increased the speed of life.

And this speed has probably reached a point where the stimuli we experience constantly have reached a level that humans were not actually prepared for.

When you consider how humans have evolved over thousands of years, life in the past was probably a piece of cake compared to today, a kind of pure deceleration. And in the last century, and especially in recent decades, we have accelerated massively. When you consider this, it is a first step toward self-reflection.

And what can leading companies do now, or what can companies do in general? Because this affects SMEs just as much as large industrial corporations. They can go some way toward the people for whom they are responsible, their employees, but also the stakeholders surrounding the company. They can engage with people and try to create the right conditions there.

And that starts with very simple things. It starts with examining values. What do we want to stand for as a company? What is our role in society? What is our responsibility? And what do we want to pass on to the next generation? Or it continues with purpose. What is our purpose? Why do we exist as a company? Is it just about making a profit, or is there more to it than that?

And that leads to very interesting discussions that are worth having, because there, too, the tension inherent in the system can be very pronounced.

A very prominent example is the issue of ecology and economy. As a company, you naturally have a carbon footprint, (and also a carbon handprint). And when you ask yourself the question: Which is more important? The ecological side of the company or the economic side?Then, of course, the approach can always be: If you don't have the economic side under control, then we don't exist as a company and therefore we can't make a positive ecological contribution either.

That is also my conviction, but at the same time, we cannot subordinate everything to the economic side. And so, a certain approach that we also pursue in our own company is to be aware of this. And then to seek a balance between these systemic tensions and under no circumstances to paint the picture in black and white. Because the world is not black and white, and the world has never been black and white.

And that is why discourse and debate are important, across generations and never divisive or pigeonholing. A very important one.

Peter Weixelbaumer:

Mr. Knogler, I would like to continue with you. At the end of the day, a lot of this discussion revolves around values.

And as Valerie also said—looking beyond Europe, now America, going its own way, I would say cautiously. Russia, China, and so on and so forth. Now, we are not saints in Europe, but we do have a strong democratic concept and framework. I think that, overall, we have a very strong humanism that we pursue.

Now that is a strength that defines Europe in some ways, yes, and yet somehow the feeling – even among many people I talk to – is that politicians, the EU, but also many people are looking to see what is happening across the Atlantic, what is he doing, what is Putin doing, and so on.

So we are looking everywhere else and are like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Shouldn't we in Europe rather say, okay, let's reflect on our values, let's be aware of our strengths. Let's try to develop accordingly, be more self-confident, and simply have a positive impact on the world and do something there.

How do you see it? That we should just continue on a good, positive path and not look at what others are doing?

Christoph Knogler:

I think the word that can play a very important role in this context is one that we use very rarely. That word is self-efficacy.

I don't know who among you has heard this word before—please raise your hand if you have—is self-efficacy part of your vocabulary? For a long time, it wasn't part of mine, and then I started to explore this concept very intensively.

Self-efficacy means that you can't always influence the conditions in which you operate, or at least not entirely. Instead, you should consider how you can best behave within these conditions.

And when we look at Europe today, we see that we don't (just) have a glorious past. We have managed to overcome many wars and much suffering to get where we are today. Today, we can be proud of our values in many areas. That wasn't always the case.

I am also someone who advises against trying to export European values to the rest of the world. Because when you talk to people around the world—and I have had the privilege of traveling extensively around the world from a young age and also for work—it is clear that people everywhere are aware of their values. And that it is not the case that we are, so to speak, the beacon and the whole world wants to come to Europe.

Rather, it is quite true that people are attached to their homeland, regardless of whether that is in Africa, South America, or anywhere else in the world. It is often the case that people would prefer to have the right conditions there and then be able to live a good life there.

So, viewing European values as an export product. One always has to be a little cautious about that.

But back to self-efficacy. I think we live on a continent with over 400 million consumers. A very strong economy that has grown over decades, even centuries. And right now, we are in something of a depressive phase.

And that has an impact—this depressive phase, which leads to people being less inclined to spend money. They tend to hold back, so to speak. And so this economic engine, which to a certain extent makes what we have here possible and also finances the social system, is stalling.

And what we are doing is looking at other corners of the world and worrying, quite rightly, about what is happening in America. And, yes, it is unreasonable what we see in the media every day and what, unfortunately, not only shapes the media, but what is actually happening there. And also what is happening in China, because China naturally has big plans to become an economic power in its own right.

But all of that is, to a certain extent, the way it is. World politics must be conducted. That is why we have elected representatives and politicians. But for us as a society, for us as businesses, and for us as the European economy, self-efficacy is already a wonderful principle.

When you think about it, 400 million consumers—and all of them have the potential to consume something in our capitalist system (which is not necessarily the only right system, but it is the system we are in)—then I think we have a great deal of power. And we need to be aware of this power.

I don't know why this is the case, but I feel that there is a psychological reason why we as humans are always more attracted to what is negative than to what is positive. Someone once explained to me that this has to do with evolution, that humans simply had to run away from what frightened them and was dangerous, and thus a negative impulse fills our synapses with much more dynamism than a positive impulse.

Sometimes I wish that the positive things we are achieving in Europe would be at the top of the media's list of priorities. Because then we would also gain strength and self-confidence, and we wouldn't have to deal with the madness spouted by Elon Musk and DJT.

Instead, we would ask ourselves what we are doing in Brussels. And what we in Brussels can do to ensure that our system here in Europe functions well.

And isn't everything that is regulated bad? Maybe some regulation is necessary. And why isn't everything that is regulated good? Maybe some regulation is too much.

And to address these issues. And not to see ourselves, so to speak, in this victim role, as little Europe crushed somewhere between the world powers. Because that doesn't get us anywhere.

Innovation, courage, leading the way and then getting people on board.

I believe that we in Europe have everything we need to develop self-confidence and self-efficacy.

Peter Weixelbaumer:

Thank you very much, Mr. Knogler. Raffaela, you nodded vigorously when Mr. Knogler was speaking.

Raphaela Plasch:

Yes—perfectly summarized from a psychological perspective.

Thank you to all participants for the exchange as well as the inspiring perspectives!