In 1977 my husband established the Bertelsmann Foundation, and I quickly became very much involved.3 We spent many hours talking about why he started it. On the one hand, he wanted to ensure the fiscal continuity of Bertelsmann AG by eventually taking over the assets of the Mohn family and guaranteeing the company’s financing. On the other hand, he firmly believed that our society’s democratic way of life was subject to ongoing revision and improvement. He wanted very much to utilize his experience in corporate culture to propagate the principles and uphold the development of a democratic state, via the foundation’s wide reach.
The Bertelsmann Foundation was designed to be a conceptual as well as a functional body that would work with specialists and with public and private institutions to develop its projects.4 In its early years, it was made up of a close-knit group. In 1979 Hans-Dieter Weger became its first hired employee. As director of the foundation, he worked very closely with my husband to develop its first initiatives.
Watching the foundation grow inspired me hugely, as did meeting so many scientists, politicians, artists, and various ambassadors of culture. On numerous trips with my husband, both within Germany and abroad, I was introduced to many shades of critical thinking and witnessed many controversial yet also constructive debates. When I think back on this time, I realize that these were the years of my true education. My many conversations with my husband, and with so many diverse personalities, gave me access to an immense realm of subjects. I couldn’t have wished for a more thorough course of study.
Learning gave me a charge, and I could barely contain my thirst for knowledge. I was an avid listener and gradually began to ask questions. I soon developed a great affinity for discourse and was happy to discover that my own judgment was often spot-on. My husband took note of the strength of my intuition and found it to be an ideal counterpart to his own analytical way of thinking. Fortunately, he fully supported my interest in people and in sociopolitical issues. Recent research into the human brain has only confirmed what I experienced: a belief in one’s own capacity for intellectual growth is imperative to reaching one’s full potential. Many people who are aware of their inherent aptitude won’t take advantage of all their capabilities. They simply come to a standstill after completing their education, satisfied with all they have learned. Only when we believe in the limitlessness of our potential are we able to move on to the next level, to go beyond our boundaries, to learn from our mistakes.
If there was something I did not know, I would not rest until I found someone who could answer my question. Every new issue I was confronted with became an educational journey, because each conversation with an authority raised new queries. Learning is a process with no beginning, middle, or end; it is life itself. I was fortunate to discover that learning makes you happy. And I am fully convinced that the lifelong drive to learn will be one of the most important skills to have in the future.5
Having new experiences is a great motivator in itself. Motivation leads to more of the same, and newly learned skills often unveil heretofore unknown talents. Learning leads to character growth, and our quest for knowledge can become our key to happiness. Step by step, project by project, on trips abroad or at home in Gütersloh, I began to line up my responsibilities. I initiated many social, cultural, and medical projects after having conversations with experts, pursuing answers to my personal questions, or simply having the desire to help. Over time, these projects evolved into the main topic areas of the Bertelsmann Foundation.6
But my work does not deal merely with big issues. Specific, goal-oriented assistance for those in my immediate surroundings is still very much a part of it. We began providing this type of aid in 1983 by establishing patient libraries in hospitals and old-age homes in the region.7 Even today I still take the time to personally visit old-age homes, women’s shelters, and other social service facilities. There is always room in my calendar for a spontaneous conversation, a kind word, or even a communal sing-along.
My interest in health and medicine continued to give rise to new ideas and set other projects in motion. While my husband spent his free time deep in thought, I reached for the phone. With each new issue that came my way, I first thought about which people to connect with one another—which meeting of the minds would have the greatest impact on any issue. I did, and still do, very much enjoy getting people excited about a new idea and bringing them together to work on a project. During my first years with the Bertelsmann Foundation, I learned that I was quick to see where new initiatives were needed, and that my way of creating connections between people was much more efficient than the traditional route, going through institutions. My various encounters with other cultures and my many meetings with international figures made me very aware of cultural differences among peoples and nations. But I also learned that a simple, inviting gesture can be a stepping-stone toward a deeper connection and mutual understanding.
When my husband saw how easily I approached people and made connections that would have taken much longer to establish using official means, he began to assign me more diplomatic tasks. I very happily took them on. We got married in November 1982, and following my husband’s wishes, I increasingly took on official duties at the Bertelsmann Foundation. In 1981 he withdrew from the operating side of Bertelsmann AG, retiring as chairman of the board, and joined the supervisory board. More than ever, he thought about the risks and opportunities inherent in political systems. He was convinced that a nation’s strength and performance determine its future generations’ quality of life. His own catastrophic experiences during World War II made it clear to him that any development of a civil society without ethics or a legal code would end only in violence and chaos.
We often talked about what the ideal conditions for a prosperous future society would be. Continued growth of international competition, we felt, demanded not only an increase in each citizen’s individual contribution but also an ongoing dialogue with other cultures and an awareness of different national, political, ethical, and cultural perspectives. Germany could learn so much from other countries! And vice versa—Germany’s research and development across so many disciplines could prove helpful to others.
The Bertelsmann Foundation’s corporate structure turned out to be ideal for exploring which nations’ initiatives could best be implemented in Germany, and for investigating which of Germany’s projects could prove most beneficial to others.