Gerd Held's selected essays and commentaries come together to create a shocking and sobering chronicle of crises. They make it clear that reality does not follow the narratives of the media or those of politics. Political projects and revisions of these projects – the energy transition, the protracted debt crisis, and uncontrolled migration – increasingly detached from the reality and interests of citizens, not only endanger the peace of the country but also threaten to irreparably damage the democratic fabric of Germany. Held poses the urgent question of the defense line of this republic.