Berlin [Germany], May 5: Despite the world's long list of challenges, former US president Obama told a Berlin audience on Wednesday night that he finds "hope" in the open-minded and clued-up young people he meets.
Obama, who left office in 2017 after serving two terms as the first black president of the United States, still retains near-rock star status for many on the political left.He has recently been delivering paid speeches titled "An Evening with President Barack Obama," in which he touches on politics, leadership and family life. He was in Zurich at the weekend and was in Australia in March. Obama was received with thunderous applause in Berlin's 17,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Arena. Tickets cost $67 to $608.
He warned against the polarisation of society, noting he had dinner on Tuesday with former chancellor Angela Merkel and lunch earlier on Wednesday with current Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The two come from two different parties but share the same basic values, Obama said at the event hosted by TV presenter KlaasHeufer-Umlauf. The 44th US president also decried the proliferation of disinformation, saying some people believed everything they saw on TikTok. Obama shared his views on political issues, from climate change to political leadership. In doing so, he referred affectionately to his family, saying he is wrong "10 times" a day in his wife's view.
"What gives me hope is the next generation," he said. "As I travel around the world, this generation of young people, they are smart, they are idealistic, they are innovative. As I said, they are naturally predisposed to believe in the quality of all people." "They appreciate diversity. They don't judge people based on their skin colour or orientation. They are more environmentally conscious. They have values that will save us," he said.
Obama, 61, has given two prominent speeches in Berlin. During his 2008 campaign, he addressed an estimated 200,000 people from the Berlin Victory Column. As president, he spoke in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in 2013.
Source: Qatar Tribune