How small and futile everything else seems in the face of war.
Federal politics, winter storms and the corona pandemic have shrunk to marginal phenomena overnight.
Germany has woken up to a new reality in which new standards and laws apply.
Also for the German companies and their business in the world.
Exactly what this new reality looks like is only a blur.
Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine has already brought one certainty: the previous German approach to foreign trade policy is no longer useful.
Germany, the major export nation, set out to conquer world markets and at the same time make the world a better place.
Not only cars, machines and chemicals were wanted to be exported, but also the principles of freedom and the market economy.
Their own pockets became fuller, while they also helped their trading partners to become more prosperous and could boast of gradually removing the foundations of their power from the autocrats.
Let's face it, dealings with despots have always been questionable.
But politicians and entrepreneurs were able to whitewash almost every deal with missionary aspirations, and the deals were even given moral justification.
Capitalism can be beautiful.
World changers on a mission
Now that idea seems ridiculous.
The so-called trading partner Putin never waited with open arms and ears for the do-gooders from the West, but pursued completely different goals and pushed them forward in front of our eyes for years.
In Berlin and Brussels, meanwhile, supply chain laws are being introduced, ESG standards and green, social taxonomies are being negotiated - as if one were the center of the world and could define DIN standards for a better economic order.
Russia and China care little.
You upgrade.
They are expanding their sphere of influence.
Vladimir Putin does not even shy away from a war in Europe and threats of nuclear weapons.
In the new reality there are now two options: no more dealings with dictators - or a new honesty.
The first option will cost wealth.
While German companies are cutting their ties with Russia today (some because they want to, others because they have to), the same can happen to China, Saudi Arabia or anyone else the day after tomorrow.
No more ethical refinement
The new honesty would have to do without ethical refinement of economic relations.
Business is done where it is worthwhile, customers are not seen as friends but as parties with their own interests.
Dependencies should be avoided.
Then it doesn't hurt so much when the other side disqualifies itself politically.
In any case, the Dax companies and the world market leaders from the German provinces were never primarily out to make the world a better place.
They wanted good business.
Even if they felt comfortable in the role of do-gooders and finally, following the zeitgeist, dedicated themselves to a higher "purpose".
Even then, when war was just around the corner, some of them wanted to meet with Putin, but this didn't work out because of "time constraints".
The justification is a mockery, the pandering behavior can be found reprehensible.
But is it up to the entrepreneur to ignore the Nord Stream 2 business opportunity as long as politics is courting Russia?
The project has long been controversial.
The government stopped it just two days before Russian bombs were dropped on Ukraine.
Much can be learned from the Americans in this respect.
While Germany still wanted to believe in the good in bad men, the US named its strategic opponents, tightened its trade terms and used dollars and big banks to assert its interests.
Together with its EU partners, Germany can emulate this.
This requires cooperation on the continent.
But that's what you want to hope for in these dark hours.