Several years ago, I read the „Thousand Character Essay“ (originally: Ciyun Wang Xizhi Shu Qianzi) translated into German. Back then, as someone who was already quite interested in philosophy, I quickly recognized that some of the things that were written down so long ago are still of value today. Over the last years, it has become apparent that virtues were abandoned for vices, especially in politics and the private sector where living a lie has become the default. However, from time to time the light also shines in some corners to reveal plant life in the desert of concrete.
(Source: Deutsche Welle | March 10, 2026)
Background
Özlem Türeci (chief medical officer) and Ugur Sahin (BioNTech CEO) became well-known in 2021 for developing the fist anti-Covid vaccine in the western world – in collaboration with the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. At the time, they were pioneers in mRNA vaccine technology. Here’s a summary of the Deutsche Welle article:
- Received the Paul Ehrlich- and Ludwig Darmstaedter-Preis 2022 (Germany’s most prestigious medical award) and the Order of Merit in 2021 (Germany’s highest honour)
- mRNA vaccines may have the potential to combat many other diseases, such as influenza, malaria and HIV as they work differently to traditional vaccines
- Türeci and Sahin leave the company in the hopes to pioneer in these areas too
- On Tuesday, BioNTech’s stock plummeted by 17% as a result of the announcement that they will depart by the end of 2026
- Before BioNTech was founded in 2008, the company Ganymed Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2001 (in 2016, the latter was sold to Astellas for €422 million to acquire the entire owner’s capital)
Sources:
BioNTech founders step down to start new venture
https://www.dw.com/en/biontech-founders-step-down-vaccine-ugur-sahin-ozlem-tureci/a-76293789
Order of Merit for BioNTech founders
https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/service/archive/order-of-merit-biontech-founders-1879782
Astellas übernimmt Ganymed Pharmaceuticals
https://www.healthcaremarketing.eu/_rubric/detail.php?rubric=M%E4rkte&nr=45419
Wise Retreat as a Virtue
Before we talk about the retreat of the science couple, let’s take a look at the Thousand Character Essay. Below you’ll find a translation of the Wise Retreat of the two court officials Shu Shou and his nephew Shu Guang. It’s my own translation, so I’ll post the original pages below in form of photos.
Exemplary were
Both of the Shu,
For they recognized
The right time,
To lay down
Official cockades,
Without anyone
To force it upon them.
Completely alone,
Retreated,
A life of leisure,
At a calm place,
Immersed taciturnly
In peaceful activity,
Calm and relaxed
In solitary calmness.
Seeking wisdom
From old scriptures,
Rummaging in wise
Explanations,
That the sorrows
All disperse,
For inner vastness
To unfold freely.
Background:
Shu Shou and his nephew Shu Guang (1st century BC) held offices at the court of the Han-Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) as the court teacher of the crown prince and advisor of the king. The story of their wise, premature retreat was recorded in the Book of the Han-Dynasty (Hanshu, Vl. 71). Both were let go with honours and given great rewards – an educational counter-example to the countless stories of rise and falls of courtly careers.
With the backstory in mind of the two Shus, you probably have realized by now why I chose the two BioNTech founders as an example of a wise retreat. While they have not retired, they still had the realization that they do not want to rest on their success for the rest of their life and instead dedicate their life to science to – hopefully – find the cure to diseases such as HIV, malaria and influenza through advances in mRNA technology. At the same time, they made room for someone new – not at the last minute, but 9 months before they officially leave the company. Methodical, foresightful.
In my first blog entry about this part of the Thousand Character Esssay – back then without an example -, I also wrote about the difficulty to recognize the right time to leave an official position (be it in a company, political party or an association/club in civil society). With the exception being old age and illness, the former should make it necessary to plan ahead for replacement and retire in time for the company, political party or association/club to find a replacement; the latter is less predictable, depending on the kind of permanent illness and the degree of impairment as a result of it, but when you and/or people around you notice that you can’t perform the job the way you used to and staying would be disadvantageous for the continued operation, making room for a successor will be necessary. Perhaps, like with Türeci and Sahin, it is neither illness nor old age that lead to your decision, but rather a desire to achieve something new. Then, you should do it like them and inform everyone in time.
Sometimes, we may need an impulse from outside before we fully realize what is going on. Through reason and interaction with others (be it professionaly at the job from staff, close friends and/or professionals like doctors and peers) this can be achieved.
However, you retiring or leaving for something new doesn’t mean that you have to completely abandon the people you worked with for so long. If they seek advice from you and you think they can still benefit from your experience and wisdom, remain open to questions they ask and align it with your leisure time in retirement or the new job.
It’ll always be more difficult to recognize the time of change when things go well or you have lots of success. But when you feel like your political party, your company or your association/club feels rusty or shows signs of losing the dynamic that made it successful in the first place, you should probably act too. There’s always talent hiding, sometimes in plain sight. Just as there are new things to pursue, perhaps an old passion or rediscovering an old overgrown path that made you passionate to try new things (on Youtube we sometimes witness in real time how a content creator produces one successful video and then faces this dilemma even more quickly: repeat the formula ad infinitum trying to recapture the success or do what is most fun to them).
The dangers that led to countless inglorious rise and falls throughout history – be it courtly, political or industrial careers – are hubris, arrogance and loss of the sense of reality. If combined it makes for a very dangerous mixture, in high positions this might result in economic decline (of a country or company), decrease of memberships and relevancy (a political party or association/club) or cultural stagnation (no new ideas).
Sources
Qianziwen
Der 1000-Zeichen-Klassiker
Verlag: Reclam
ISBN: 978-3-15-011292-2
Language: German
Pages: 128
Wahl ohne Kandidaten: Wie ein Dorf seinen Bürgermeister fand
https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/wahl-ohne-kandidaten-wie-ein-dorf-seinen-buergermeister-fand,VDauw3p
| Note: I’m aware that in some municipalities, at least in Germany, there’s a shortage or rather even non-existent pool of candidates for new mayors. Those people, who have often been involved for decades, may have no other choice but to stay even if they wanted to leave. Steinsfeld, in the administrative district of Ansbach, Bavaria, faced this dilemma when the old mayor could no longer do her job. Since being a mayor is a honorary office in small municipalities – meaning no payment – and her family and job received less attention than they deserved, she decided to not run for the post of mayor anymore. Unfortunately, no one wanted to do it either in the village where 1,200 people live. Steinsfeld got lucky, though, as an experienced 64-year old became a write-in candidate (he wasn’t on any candidate list). He accepted too when the municipality phoned him, even though he had different retirement plans. He worked in the communal administration for 45 years. Sometimes, power has to be given to people who don’t even want it or didn’t intend to ever wield that sword. It may not be ideal for those places that look for a mayor, but there’s always the possibility of a lucky find and an individual who is ready to take on the responsibility. |
Closing Remarks
A wise retreat, as it occurs rarely in this day and age as in old, is still of great importance and makes it possible for the individual (or individuals) to have a honourable and dignified withdrawal. That way, he or she will be remembered in a positive and exemplary way.
Baroque 