Many people find it difficult to deal with uncertainty because they perceive uncertainty primarily as a threat.
Likewise, many people find it difficult in a world in which there are very different challenges that cannot be answered simply by thinking in black and white.
Where complexity dominates, it is therefore not far to often absurd conspiracy murmurs.
The Davos World Economic Forum, which itself is repeatedly at the center of obscure conspiracy tales, cannot be denied the good will to seek adequate answers to complicated questions.
But just as little as dark powers from Graubünden steer the world, the meeting can reveal solutions to the pressing questions of the time.
The World Economic Forum is and remains first and foremost a unique networking event for the world's economic elites, who over the decades have been attended by guests from other areas of society in addition to political elites and representatives of the media.
Davos is still mainly financed by companies whose top management does not travel to Switzerland to be indoctrinated there – by whomsoever – but to establish contacts with current and potential customers and with politicians from the most diverse countries in the country Hope to look good business.
Meet lots of interesting people in a short amount of time
The business model is simple: in Davos you can meet numerous interesting people within a few days within a short distance, whom you would otherwise rarely or never meet, or only with a considerable investment of time.
Last year's out-of-order meeting in the spring, marked by Russia's war against Ukraine, proved instructive in this regard.
Heads of state and government from the Baltic States and Poland vividly explained the military and political dimensions of the war from their point of view, while representatives from emerging and developing countries described their view of the economic consequences of the war for their populations no less emphatically.
Even in an increasingly digital world, many decision-makers consider at least occasional personal contact to be irreplaceable.
Therefore, the idea of organizing a multi-day global event once a year for representatives of a wide variety of economic sectors should remain attractive in the future.
On the other hand, the global business world doesn't need three events like Davos a year, especially since they are quite expensive.
Therefore, to date, there has been no real competition for the World Economic Forum.
A longtime participant once summed up the sentiment with the closing lines of the Eagles' song "Hotel California": "You can check out whenever you want, but you can never really leave."
Breaks that are ultimately major trends
This year, the World Economic Forum has declared the current ruptures in the world to be the main theme.
What are referred to here as breaks are ultimately major trends that have been observed for many years.
The digital revolution has the potential to change the world in decades, perhaps just as much as the industrial revolution did in its day.
Climate change will become more important, but urgently needs to be tackled, among other things, in countries that cannot afford it.
In many rich and some not-so-rich countries, aging societies will pose significant economic and social challenges, especially as aging societies tend to elect politicians that are more likely to stall much-needed change.
In many rather poorer countries, on the other hand, the population continues to grow significantly, but in many places the economic opportunities are not being used.
The political unrest is primarily a consequence of these major trends, but not their cause.
Today's economic elites are shaped by consulting firms that have sent their trainees to the control centers of numerous corporations.
These managers have mastered the ABCs of optimizing operations and increasing stock market value.
But the interest in the possible political consequences of economic and social upheavals still seems capable of increasing.
This could also be discussed in Davos in the coming days.