… always count your change!
We humans love to be told what to believe.
Even if we are more of a rebellious type (my hand is raised!),
we like to join a good read.
Culture is built on shared believes about – well, just about everything.
That’s the core of culture.
A shared idea about life.
We listen to stories and we memorize them well.
We learn best when we hear a narrative.
In our history we believed what the old epic songs told us.
We believed what the bards were delivering.
We put faith in what we were told by authorities, by books, by science, by scholars.
We believed what we learned at school.
What was said on the television.
We believed what the newspapers told us,
what was featured in magazines.
Now humans believe what the AI tells them.
And there is absolutely no problem.
Until that day when what we believe contradicts reality.
When there is a collision between
– what we believe and
– what is real,
reality always wins.
The sky is blue not green, no matter how much you believe in a green sky.
Reality is always right.
No matter what the AI makes us believe.
In history, people who believed their own observations have been called wise men.
There is a reason for that.
Trust your common sense.
It’s not very common but more intelligent than you might think.
Have a great summer,
much love,
Anselma
The devil made a garage sale. He put a desk in front of his house and placed all his nice tools there. Envy, malice, dispair, hatred and jealousy were all on sale, one by one nicely lined up. But apart from those off to the side he had his favorite tool. It looked very used and was priced above all the others. It was very, very effective and it worked better than any of the other tools. It was labelled with the sign “discouragement”.
The other day I was teaching piano and a student’s mother was not pleased with the outcome. She complained that her child was not practicing enough. Her judgement was: the child is lazy. It needs more coercion. And well, I am just not the person who would coerce anybody. It’s not productive! And certainly not the best for the child.
There are two things that we can not see easily. But we can, when we get attentive enough and know a little bit more about human nature.
An old man and a boy were traveling to town with a donkey. At first, the old man was riding the donkey and the boy was walking. When they stopped by a little tavern, the innkeeper critizised the old man: “How can you let the boy walk for so long? That’s inhumane!” 
– Making mistakes is normal.
A colleague helping out in our company wrote, she wishes much success for all the upcoming new creative projects in 2026 but she does not like the word success, she means joy, recognition and a positive resonance with others.
The European basic idea that all state systems are based on is rooted in giving support. I was never aware of this fact – until the day my orchestra made a concert tour to India. As artists, we resided in luxurious hotels, with huge bedrooms and bathrooms all in marble. I had never been to more elegant und exquisite accommodations than in India. We were driving around in air-conditioned busses and had all the conveniences a person could think of.
Nikolaus Maler is principal bassoonist at the Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz and holds a position as professor for bassoon at the Musikhochschule Nürnberg, Germany. His YouTube Channel „Fagottmusik“ is reaching a large fan community. Prof. Maler is known for his exceptionally wide repertoire, including contemporary rarities. Quite a few pieces have been dedicated to him in the past and he wholeheartedly supports young musicians and engages in educating the ambitious bassoon youth.
The other day I read about a guy, who gave his employees T-Shirts that say TGIM.
