Rainer Langhans at 85: "I'm Already Content" - A Man Ahead of His Time
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Rainer Langhans celebrates his 85th birthday with glee. - Rainer Langhans, in reference to his 85th birthday, expresses contentment, stating, "I'm already satisfied with my life."
Rainer Langhans, the 68er icon, cycles, plays table tennis, meditates—all while living with a prostate cancer diagnosis. Despite the grim diagnosis, Langhans maintains a positive outlook, preparing himself for the inevitable while continuing to live life to the fullest.
Rumors of Langhans' impending demise in March sparked concern, but the veteran clarified that he has long been engaging with the concept of death due to his inner journey. "I practice dying, you could say," he explains, and it brings him great peace. Langhans turns 85 on June 19.
Embracing Illness With an Unusual Approach
His approach to the disease is unconventional. "I was excited rather than shocked" about the cancer diagnosis, he says. Meditation, he explains, is about trying to die every day. The cancer diagnosis gave him the opportunity to intensify this practice.
The ex-commune dweller wants others to accept illness. He insists that his life has improved significantly since his diagnosis.
A Special Relationship Model
He resides in Munich’s trendy Schwabing district with three women, sometimes referred to as a "harem," although they don't all live together under one roof. "It's a commune, but because our bodies don't live together, we can come together spiritually."
The women—Christa Ritter, Gisela Getty, and Brigitte Streubel—consider themselves a community. "We inspire each other," Ritter says. They see the term "harem" as somewhat misunderstood, often associated with colonialist oppression of women. Ritter clarifies that this is not the case in their arrangement.
Commune 1: A Revolution Against Establishment
In the 1960s, Langhans co-founded the legendary Commune 1. Its members were seen as a threat to the bourgeoisie with their radical societal alternative. They rebelled against the Nazi generation, the Shah, and the Vietnam War. Their provocative actions—from arson and flyers to the infamous pudding attack on US Vice President Hubert Humphrey—garnered headlines. The image of the naked communards from behind caused quite a stir.
Through his relationship with Uschi Obermaier, the fashion model became famous—and an icon. Langhans reveals that the relationship ended due to differing views on sexuality.
The slogan "Make love, not war" against the Cold War and the Vietnam War was often misinterpreted, he says. The underlying message was about spiritual connection—“spiritual sex.” Real free love is liberated from sex and the body.
Nevertheless, the image of the sexual revolution remained. In 2018, Langhans’ golden pubic hair won an art prize worth 1,968 euros.
"Apo-Opa" with a Radical Lifestyle
Even in old age, Langhans continues to push boundaries with his radical lifestyle—vegetarian diet, walking, cycling, table tennis, meditation.
He calls this "species-appropriate keeping." "I am consciously very poor so that I am not forced to earn money." His distinctive trademarks, besides his white mane, are white clothing—because white contains all colors.
In 2011, Langhans participated in the RTL-"Jungle Camp." He received a large sum for his appearance, which he spent almost entirely. He was drawn to the commune-like experience, seeing it as a kind of commune training program.
A Stranger in This World
Occasionally, Langhans’ views leave him feeling misunderstood or “not of this world”—a theme that has characterized his life.
Born as the first of four children in Oschersleben near Magdeburg, Langhans felt out of place. His parents couldn't handle it, so they sent him to a strict religious boarding school. Afterward, Langhans took a radically different path, becoming a conscript soldier. This enabled him to study. In Berlin, he first studied law and then psychology, though he didn't graduate.
In the "Argument Club" and the Socialist German Student Union (SDS), he found like-minded people. The extra-parliamentary opposition (APO) emerged from there.
There, the motto was: "The personal is political." Therefore, Langhans recently advocated for the liberal sharing of personal data online. "I give my data voluntarily and get euros in return," he said on his 80th birthday. He saw the Corona crisis as an opportunity for inner reflection and a "meditation unit" for the whole society—just like his own illness.
"Human Instead of Just Man"
He currently has no symptoms, he says. He refused an operation or chemotherapy but is receiving a therapy that palliatively reduces his testosterone to zero. "I am chemically castrated,” he says. "So, I am no longer a man at all, if you will. I am now a human being, instead of just a man." He also sees this as an opportunity: it lifts him "above all these lowlands of libido."
The women are organizing the birthday—instead of coffee and cake, there will be deeper conversations, says Christa Ritter. Langhans himself says he is without wishes: "I am already happy—I don't wish for anything.”
- Rainer Langhans
- Christa Ritter
- Commune
- Table Tennis
- Schwabing
- Munich
- Jungle Camp
- Meditation
- Spirituality
- Liberation
- counterculture
- sexual revolution
- Rainer Langhans, a advocate of the 68er movement, continues to engage in activities like cycling, table tennis, and meditation, despite his prostate cancer diagnosis and advanced age of 85.
- Langhans' unconventional approach to illness involves viewing his cancer as an opportunity to intensify his daily meditation practice.
- Living in Munich's trendy Schwabing district with three women, Langhans and his companions consider themselves a spiritual community, often referred to as a "harem," despite not all living together under one roof.
- The women in Langhans' life, Christa Ritter, Gisela Getty, and Brigitte Streubel, see themselves as inspirations to each other and value the term "harem" as having been misconstrued, often associated with oppression.
- In the 1960s, Langhans co-founded Commune 1, a movement that rebelled against the establishment and was seen as a threat to the bourgeoisie.
- Controversial actions by Commune 1 members, such as the infamous pudding attack on US Vice President Hubert Humphrey, earned headlines and a provocative reputation.
- Langhans continues to challenge societal norms even in old age, with his vegetarian diet, physical activities, and radical lifestyle choices, including his belief in "species-appropriate keeping" and preference for white clothing.
