Nigel – Sicherheitskultur

“Sicherheitskultur” translates as “safety culture” and is deeply embedded in daily life in Germany. I think about this when I notice the reaction in some people here in Germany when they hear about this life decision we have made. We are choosing to step away from secure, well-paid, and stable careers, give up our home, and move into a future without a detailed, long-term plan. In a society that values security and predictability, this can sound reckless. The idea of voluntarily giving up stability is difficult for many here in Germany to comprehend.

Perhaps I should give you some context on the culture of safety and security here in Germany. Over decades, the country has earned a reputation for quality and reliability—from cars and electronics to tools and machinery. This is no accident. Especially in the south, people tend to be highly risk-averse. Engineers seek complete certainty before approving anything, with processes tested and checked repeatedly. Only when something is unquestionably safe does it progress.

This approach delivers high quality, low failure rates, and durable products. However, it also has downsides. Costs increase, decisions take longer, and entrepreneurial spirit suffers. Innovation still occurs, but often cautiously and step by step. By contrast, engineers in other regions—China being a clear example—are just as capable, producing solid solutions at far greater speed. Neither model is inherently better; each reflects a different cultural attitude to risk.

The reactions to our decision, we’ve received have, on the whole been very positive. Friends and colleagues have been supportive, especially of our wish to spend more time with family and to use our skills in a more community-based way rather than within a corporate framework. Still, I sometimes see the unspoken concern behind the smiles—a look that quietly asks, “Are you sure this is sensible?,… are you quite mad?”

On the odd occasion, I have been asked “What’s your plan B?”. To be brutally honest, we don’t have one. Perhaps that indicates gross negligence, naivety or plain madness, but our attitude is.. what’s the worst that can happen? We have to enter this adventure with a huge bag of optimimism, we have to believe we can relish the lack of privacy, the constant sense of temporary living and the free lifestyle. If after a few years, we decide we’ve had enough, then we will change direction and I am sure the plan B will avail itself to us at that point.

Thankfully, not everyone shares the same priorities in life. If they did, the world would be unimaginably boring, and alternative lifeplans like ours would not exist at all. A part of me will always desire a large workshop, filled with tools, 3D printers, and motorcycles…I mean, which engineer wouldn’t? But the longing for “stuff” is outweighed by a deeper one…time with family, curiosity, travel and freedom.

Different strokes for different folks, and I for one, welcome the diversity.

(Although I still really want a new 3D printer.) 😇