{"id":3010,"date":"2025-10-04T06:40:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T06:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markus-schall.de\/?p=3010"},"modified":"2026-04-27T16:51:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T16:51:43","slug":"when-duty-becomes-duty-again-a-kind-of-essay-by-mr-von-loreot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markus-schall.de\/en\/2025\/10\/wenn-pflicht-wieder-pflicht-wird-eine-art-essay-von-herrn-von-loreot\/","title":{"rendered":"When duty becomes duty again. A kind of essay by Mr. von L'oreot."},"content":{"rendered":"

Considerations on the possible return of compulsory military service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A kind of essay by Mr. von L'oreot on a possible state tension<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Latest news on the topic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n

27.04.2026<\/strong>A reader of the NachDenkSeiten recently caused a stir: At the age of 91, he quickly volunteered for reserve duty<\/strong><\/a> - including a reference to \u201ereal frontline experience\u201c from the Second World War and a remarkably sober description of what war actually means. What was intended as a satirical reaction to the debate about higher age limits for reservists reads like a bitterly serious document:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nights of bombing, hunger, loss - and the quiet question of whether you really want to go back there again. Or should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Mr. von L'oreot, this should settle the matter once and for all: When duty becomes duty again, a sprightly ninety-year-old is apparently enough to make the absurdity of the situation visible. And while elsewhere people are still thinking about \u201eflexible models\u201c, this letter provides a much less flexible, but all the more forceful reminder of what war actually means.<\/p>\n\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Chapter I: An unexpected phone call<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was a Tuesday. Or a Wednesday. I'm no longer sure. All I remember is a thermos flask of filter coffee, a sandwich with liver sausage - and a phone call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hello, this is the Bundeswehr Career Center! You have been flagged for re-enlistment. Reactivation of compulsory military service. You understand.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Career center? German Armed Forces?<\/a> I didn't understand anything at first. I had become accustomed to a life in which people left me alone as long as I didn't provoke them. A life with warm water, calculated tax assessments and a certain inner aversion to running through the woods in wellies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So now I was to be \u201ecaptured\u201c again. Not in the spiritual sense, but apparently in a very concrete way - by name, physically and, if necessary, with storm luggage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lady on the phone was friendly. Almost too friendly. The kind of friendliness that makes you instinctively look for the escape route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"This is initially only a measure of the national defense readiness survey preliminary structure.\"<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I asked for a repeat. The lady sighed and read the word again, this time in slow official German.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I dutifully noted it down on a shopping list, between \"toothpaste\" and \"crumble cake\". It seemed to me to be of comparable importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chapter II: The duties of the state and the duty of the citizen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In an ideal Germany - one in which mustard never runs out and the neighbor doesn't play leaf blower - there is a clear division of labor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \r\n \t
  • The state protects<\/strong>, the citizen pays<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • The state proclaimed<\/strong>, the citizen nods<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • The state obligated<\/strong> - and the citizen puts on his shoes<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    It is a system of reassuring clarity. Until the moment you are affected yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"You have to be prepared\"<\/em>it said.
    \n\"It could be\"<\/em>they added.
    \nAnd: \"The duty applies to everyone.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    I was assured that everything would be very humane. It wasn't about drill, but about \"civic engagement\". I remembered my last civic engagement experience: an election worker who asked me not to crumble the shortbread cookies when counting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So now a larger scale. Compulsory service. Service to society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I imagined a kind of modern gardening. With a uniform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At the same time, I remembered that principle from biology class:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"If you don't train for a long time, you shouldn't expect to perform.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    As a precaution, I decided not to promise any service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Mr.\n\n\n\n

    Later that evening at home...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chapter III: The media - the moderator without direction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The return of compulsory military service is a serious issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A very serious one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So serious that it can hardly be left to a serious person. That's why - as always in serious matters the television<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In public discourse, this is expressed as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A young presenter in a slim-fit jacket sits opposite a minister whose hairstyle looks as if it had been approved by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Between the two is a table with a glass of water - half full or half empty, depending on the security situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The moderator begins:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Mr. Minister, how dangerous is the situation if you are now thinking about compulsory military service?\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The Minister replies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"We are not thinking about conscription. We think about security.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The moderator nods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The camera zooms in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The glass remains untouched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At this point, the studio fades in the word \u201eEXCLUSIVE\u201c - while exactly the same sentences have already been used in five other formats. There, however, they were called \u201eSondersendung\u201c, \u201eHintergrund\u201c or \u201eKlartext\u201c - depending on the station's identity and the color of the ticker tape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Particularly noteworthy is the media visualization of the \"civic commitment to duty\":<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We see archive footage of young men in undershirts making beds, followed by close-ups of tanks turning in gravel pits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Accompanied by dramatic music, somewhere between crime scene and techno demo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    An off-screen speaker - warm, male, state-friendly - explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"It's not about war. It's about responsibility.\"<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    At times like this, I ask myself whether it is possible to wage war with responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Or responsibility without war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Or war without any off-screen speakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In a late-night talk show, a journalist asks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"But are young people today still willing to get involved at all?\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    A young man in a hoodie and glasses answers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201eI have no opinion. But I have a feeling.\u201c<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    An elderly professor with a beard - graceful but unpalatable - replies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"In my generation, a sense of duty was part of the soup!\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Everyone laughs politely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The program ends with a:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201eThat's it for today - stay alert\u201c,<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    while the ZDF credits music plays in the background - presumably composed by someone who was already alert in 1984.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Personally, I always have a teapot within reach for such formats. It doesn't protect me from conscription, but it does stop me from biting the screen prematurely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Because what the media is trying to prevent is not the duty itself - but its explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And if you watch long enough, you realize:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The tension in the reporting is elastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It stretches far -<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    but he rarely hits the target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"L'oreot\n\n\n\n

    Chapter IV: Citizens in the stranglehold of duty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A homeland evening in five acts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83e\uddcd 1. the human being as a number<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    First of all, a citizen is a human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At least that was the case until now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, since there has been more talk of compulsory military service - i.e. the ceremonial return of the individual to the folding box of collective national defense - perceptions have changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201eM\u00fcller, Karl, born 1988 - can be used in support group 7b (logistical, wheelchair-related).\u201c<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    So you are no longer asked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"What are you particularly good at?\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    But rather:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"What would you least expect?\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udccb 2. registration - gentle but firm<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Modern recording is paperless.
    \nBy e-mail, app or QR code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You receive a \"digital summons\" where you can fill in whether you feel able to wear a gas mask in an emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If not, the form at least offers alternatives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"I'm good at making sandwiches (for a maximum of 80 people).\"<\/em>
    \n\"I have a clipboard and I can keep it.\"<\/em>
    \n\"I was in the army in the 90s, but I can only remember goulash.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Anyone who fills this out correctly is automatically assigned to a defense form:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    active, semi-passive, or morally supportive (comment column on the Internet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udecf 3. the reorganization of the habitat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    As soon as the citizen is registered, changes are made. For example, he receives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \r\n \t
    • an orange cloth bag with the inscription: \"When it starts, you'll know first.\"<\/strong><\/li>\r\n \t
    • an invitation to the orientation meeting in community center B, room 6 (through the equipment room, then left). Tea will be served, but only if the thermos flask from the civil defense camp works.<\/li>\r\n \t
    • a leaflet with instructions on the correct storage of spreads during a heightened state of alert. It states, among other things: \"Margarine is not a protective material.\"<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      \ud83d\udea8 4. the control question: Can I still say \"no\"?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Many citizens ask themselves: \"Do I have to do this?\" The answer is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201eNo - except when you have to.\u201c<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      That is reassuring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Because it shows that there is still a choice - but only between the options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \r\n \t
      • \"Voluntary commitment\"<\/li>\r\n \t
      • \"Obligatory voluntariness\"<\/li>\r\n \t
      • or \"Voluntary mandatory contribution as part of a service-oriented consideration (short form: mandatory)\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Anyone who resists this is considered unwilling to integrate, but this should not be confused with unwillingness to integrate - a term used exclusively in foreign policy training exercises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \ud83e\udde6 5. the resistance is forming - quietly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        A man in my circle of acquaintances - let's call him Mr. Dobermann - recently declared that he would hide under the living room table if he was called up. When asked, it turned out that he had already moved in beforehand because he didn't want to discuss energy-saving light bulbs with his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        So he would be prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        His dog is already wearing a field cap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \ud83d\udcdc Conclusion: order is a must - even if nobody knows what for<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        It used to be said that citizens were the backbone of democracy.
        \nToday, it is often just a phone number in a government Excel spreadsheet under the \"Mobilization: civil\" tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        And yet: there is hope. Because as long as people write on paper while tablets crash, as long as potato salad is considered a crisis supply and as long as a responsible citizen wonders whether to lift the left or the other left first when marching -<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        ...as long as there are people who retain a bit of humor even in the face of duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the true backbone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Mr.\n\n\n\n

        Chapter V: Between word and effect - the art of control<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        \ud83d\udcfa Words, words, ineffectiveness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        At a time when words such as \"resilience\", \"mobilization\" and \"service-oriented society\" are being used with increasing cheerful seriousness on the evening news, it is striking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Nobody asks what exactly that means anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \u201eResilience\u201c today is when the pressure increases -
        \nand the citizen still doesn't burst.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        Meanwhile, the authorities explain in clear officialese that they are not planning to impose an obligation, but are merely checking whether they need to check how they would check if they were to check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The citizen - between coffee machine and energy-saving plan - listens.
        \nHe nods.
        \nHe does not understand.
        \nBut he senses that something is being prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \ud83e\udde9 The trick with language<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Loriot would have said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \u201eIt's like the Christmas goose - first it's stuffed, then it's seasoned, then it's told: now it's going in the oven, but nobody ever asked if it was even invited.\u201c<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        This is also how the language of the preparatory measures works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \r\n \t
        • \"Preventive structures\" are what used to be called \"advance warning\".<\/li>\r\n \t
        • \"Flexibilized civic duty\" was once \"military service\".<\/li>\r\n \t
        • \"Necessary participation within the framework of social stability\" used to mean: \"Hold still, M\u00fcller.\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          What is cast in paragraphs today was just a regulars' table idea yesterday and will be \"no longer debatable\" tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \ud83e\udde0 Control does not start with uniforms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          True control does not begin with the marching orders.
          \nIt begins long before that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \r\n \t
          • at the Vocabulary<\/strong> in the press conference,<\/li>\r\n \t
          • at the Transmitter sequence<\/strong> on state television,<\/li>\r\n \t
          • at the Pitch<\/strong>which suddenly makes the concept of \"personal responsibility\" seem close to the state.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            It is the art of using words to create a climate in which coercion no longer looks like coercion - but like a \u201esense of duty\u201c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Or even worse: like \"reason\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \ud83c\udfbb The citizen as background music<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            While all this is happening, the citizen remains polite. He fills out forms, gives feedback on online surveys and clicks the cross:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"I have read and understood the information on mobilization capability.\"<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Of course he didn't understand anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            But he hopes that people will then leave him alone.
            \nThe state, which is preparing itself, reassures him:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"Don't worry, it only affects very few people. Most people don't even notice.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Most people really don't notice anything.
            \nBut this is known to change quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n