Are we rushing into disaster, eyes wide open? A plague is raging in Thebes, water is scarce, temperatures are rising. Pythia, the voice of the oracle of Delphi, preaches sacrifice and a new order, but her warnings go unheard. In essence, the belief in progress is still unbroken, hybrid cars cruise along streets with eight lanes, while the idyllic mountain scenery between vineyards of Riesling and Grauburgunder betrays no hint of apocalyptic scenarios.

King Oedipus argues with his brother in-law Creon about concepts of political governance: How much truth can the people cope with? His wife Jocasta is convinced of the elite’s ability to judge and has only mild contempt for the simple citizens. The choir of the »well-off foaming with rage« calls for participation in decision-making and wants nothing more than for everything to remain as it is. The blind seer Tiresias on the other hand, has gotten comfortable in the foothills of power and announces what the people want to hear. A world without growth is unimaginable for him. But Pythia’s oracle remains a warning: »of how the law of wanting more of everything will now finally reach its limits«. The party’s over.

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