You are warmly invited to join me on a journey through the eight decades that span my life, filled with significant historical events. My birth year of 1929 was not spared from war. I experienced the terrible bombing night in Dresden in February 1945, survived it, witnessed Soviet tanks rolling in, and then on June 17, 1953, saw those same tanks fire on peaceful demonstrators. The Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Wall, the opening of the Wall - these are milestones on my life's path. Where did all this lead? Even today, there is still unrest and turmoil. A new global financial crisis continues to bring uncertainty to people across all continents. Gunfire can be heard in the Hindu Kush, and uncontrollable events are occurring due to the extremely rising energy demands, which are also polluting our oceans. The future of coming generations hangs in the balance.