Written by Ekkehardt Mueller
At an exhibition in Switzerland the sculptor Tinguely presented a gigantic and strange machine. It consisted of metal bars, fly wheels, sheet metal, chains, and gear wheels. A crowd of visitors surrounded the strange construction. When the sculptor was asked what the machine would produce, he responded, “Nothing.” The artist had manufactured a kind of symbol: in our world so many wheels are spinning that it can be frightening. We live in a system that proceeds with an immense speed. There is always motion, action, noise, and intoxication. But there is no real aim, meaning, and fruit. Why am I here? What is the meaning and purpose of my life?