The secret of Switzerland's rise to power

This is my second visit to Switzerland. The first time I visited Switzerland, I also saw this sculpture called "The Sad Lion". At that time, I only knew that the lion was very famous, but today I know that the secret of Switzerland's rapid rise is hidden in this sculpture.

　　Switzerland is mountainous, with the Alps occupying most of the country. Switzerland has a lot of water, with 1,400 lakes, and is the source of the Rhine River. The snow season in Switzerland is particularly long, starting in September and continuing until April or May of the following year. Poor people come out of poor mountains and poor water. Born in such an uninhabitable place, what do the Swiss people do to survive? Organizing mercenaries to fight in various countries was once Switzerland's "way to enrich the country and strengthen the people" - and that was the only way to do it.

　　The Swiss mercenaries are honest and trustworthy, taking money from others, and serving their clients with absolute loyalty, even at the expense of their own lives.

　　The "Lion of Sorrows" monument was built to commemorate the Swiss mercenaries who died on August 10, 1792 in the fight against the French Revolution. 786 Swiss mercenaries died protecting Louis XVI and Queen Marie. The lion monument is a landmark sculpture in Lucerne: an arrow plunges deep into the back of a dying lion, who looks pained, with his front paws on a shield and spear bearing the Swiss coat of arms. The American novelist Mark Twain once praised this sculpture as "the most mournful and touching sculpture in the world". Loyalty to service, even at the cost of one's own life, is a Swiss value. Knowing that the Bourbons were so corrupt and decadent, they kept their promise to protect them, even if it cost them their lives.

　　In addition, the Swiss mercenaries made a name for themselves by protecting the Pope on several occasions: on May 6, 1527, when Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire launched a war and tens of thousands of troops marched into Rome, 147 of the 189 Swiss Praetorians (mercenaries sent by the Swiss government) who were protecting Pope Clément VII died.

　　In May 1981, when Pope John Paul II was assassinated during a regular blessing mass in St. Peter's Square, he was shot in the abdomen and his life was in danger, and the Swiss Praetorians took him to the hospital as quickly as possible to save his life.

　　Because of this loyalty, one third of the world's political and business leaders now choose to keep their private savings in Swiss banks - not only without paying interest, but also by charging them a fee for keeping them. I think the reason why Swiss banks do this is that they must regard themselves as mercenaries who "manage money to eliminate disasters" for people!

　　Switzerland once launched a referendum to give every Swiss the equivalent of more than 16,000 yuan in benefits every month without compensation. The result of the referendum: no. The reason is very simple: the country is rich, but it does not support lazy people!