The art of becoming older.

Posted on 21 November 2018 by Arjan

Becoming older as an art. Or is it more a matter of common sense. Worse even just luck.

If you look back in history from a current perspective it all looks logical. Better hygiene , healthy sufficient nutrition and the development of medication. It makes that the life expectation of people is becoming much higher. Child death rate is strongly being reduced. There is more and diverse medication becoming available. Doctors are gaining more knowledge. Hospitals are becoming more and more easier to reach. People themselves are becoming more and more aware about a good and healthy lifestyle.

The wheels in the clock to become older look like to become smoother. But there are grains of sand who can crawl in time into the clockwork. The wear and tear of the body can sometimes become beyond repair. Medication can not always cure but mostly take away the pain. Or stabilize the illness somewhat. But sometimes also not. New medication , appliances and techniques are being developed. However it also looks like that with the growth of the world population also the illnesses and their kind are growing. Illnesses for which its harder and harder to develop medication.

Everybody has its own clockwork and you never know how the condition of the wheels are. Maybe you are lucky. But perhaps bad luck is own your way. It can happen any moment. With a little luck your bad luck can be fixed. It is always the question when and for how long you can enjoy form a healthy and fit body and mind.

If for example an organ is saying: sorry I can not do this anymore. You have bad luck. But maybe we did arrange it in a good way and a transplantation is possible. We can bring back luck and happiness some times. But you are depending on factors and their is no real certainty.

Society , particularly the economic one , is taking no risks. They are gladly offering you work. Specially in the blossom of your life. You can put all your time and energy in it. Show what you can do! But it has to give a profit. Than you will be encouraged. Better and faster than the other? Yes , please. The compliment is on its way. Maybe more salary as well. But there is not much time and space to calm down and for reflection. For the question: What do I really establish? That is one for later. Meanwhile the pressure can go to a high level. Stress can become you best friend easily. The relation with stress is a slowly steeling one. It also often displaces almost unnoticeable your other friend health. Which relationship do you prefer??

Important is that what is important in life. Specially in your life. That is something you have to figure out by yourself. Something that only you should think about. Preferably as early as possible. They should not tell you. You need to experience it. Feel it. If you have found what you love than you have made a huge and important step. Doing what you love will make you free. That art everyone should achieve before it is to late. To late to do it. Having regrets of what you have done. Buddha was right when he said: The problem is that you think you have time. There is no time. Only here and now. What you think and what you do. From that you have to make the best and nothing else.

And the medical world is meanwhile focusing to keep people as long as possible and as good as possible alive. That is a good ambition but what do we do with it. What are the possibilities. Are those possibilities available for everyone. How does life look like after the medication. May people in the western world stay alive because of expensive medication while at the same time in other parts of the world people live in poverty and die from hunger. Is it not better to make the world better step by step. First take away the hunger , next solve poverty and then look how we make life as healthy as possible. It are all ethical questions that we need to give a certain value.

Let’s than also try to give death an ethical value. Is he really an enemy? Or a friend. He makes you think about what you are doing. An eternal life would also create a continuous repetition of steps. The nicest things in life loose their charme. The once in a lifetime will get a total other dimensions.

Enjoying life is the art. Getting older and older is not really a necessity for that. Health yes. But eternal life is not needed from my perspective.

Borders , but in our favour.

Posted on 31 October 2018 by Arjan

Borders. They can be mentally. In your mindset for example. I do hope for you are in control there. But looking at the mass media , culture and education it is hard to have a really free mind. What should you believe. Is their information honest? What they are telling? Or should you think a little deeper? Does it makes sense with your own logic and values? You will be surprised if you take a little more time to think what the information really shows.

Taking more time a, using perspective and my common sense is at least what I am trying to do. When I than think of borders , the physical ones , it are not really borders. It are filters. What we need can come (/or we take) in and what we don’t want we push back. In basis very egoistic. Short sighted. In the long run creating a great problem.

If we look at the second largest continent , Africa , there are lots of people trying to make a good and honest living. Do they have the means and resources?? Yes , they have a lots of resources. Look at all the minerals they have. Gold , diamonds , copper , oil , kobalt etc…. . All kind of minerals that we can not do without are there. Are they able to make money from that. Yes but not as much as you might expect or find reasonable. It are multinational like Shell etc… who are taking the most. They have the knowledge , the technology , the machines and the funding to excavate the material. Bring it to their factories and make their products. Does get Africa a fair share or profit for the materials. The multinationals are avoiding that as much as they can. Do the Africans get more direct and indirect jobs because of these materials. Indirect jobs come from factories that are using the materials to make components and/or finals products. Answer is: Only if the multinationals have to pay as less as possible. So the cheapest solution. Their shareholders are demanding the highest profits as they can get. If this means even destabilizing , with violence if needs be , the countries. Yes. All means they can think of.

We should be aware that this is not fair , not social and even inhumane.

So on one hand we are exploiting Africa like in the colonized era and maybe even worse. On the other side we treat people who are fleeing for better circumstances to Europe almost like criminals.

The politicians who are doing the last and run a right wing and populist course should be aware that the multinationals are creating the problem. Are they doing something to adres this cause. No , don’t think so. They are namely being controlled by those multinationals. There is no free market. There is no real democracy. People don’t count. The money of the multinationals is all that does count.

Yes , this is one of the faces of the capitalistic system. Enjoy.

The landscape , what would we like to see.

Posted on 27 October 2018 by Arjan

The landscape. How does it look like? That depends mostly on the perspective. Which glasses are we looking through? How do we hink about matters in this world? Where do we want to go?

Good questions on which everybody has its own answers. The cleaning lady , the painter , the bank associate , the manager , the ceo , the politician and the multinationals. From the last one examples like Mark Zuckerberg , Bill Gates and Elon Musk say that we need some kind of Basic Income.

Nice that they are putting it into the spotlight. The rich are finally to meet with the needs of the poor? Their landscape or what they have in mind might be very different from the people who work hard for a low fee and an uncertain work situation. The multinational might think: I have to secure my selling market. If I want to transfer my production to cheap labor countries I cant squeeze them to much. A.I. , artificial intelligence , can do the work for us. We give them some basic income , not to much , and take away their work. Strikes will not have that much of an influence. The democracy is already in our control. Not much to fear there.

It sounds negative but that is how you look at it. Do I like this version of The Matrix? That depends on the chair in which you are sitting. My chair is social and humane. This means that I am looking differently at this. Basic income stands for in my perspective for freedom and the possibility to make your own choices. As a human and as humanity together. It means that except the amount of money you are receiving we also have the possibility for entrepeneurship. This is a free way. No unneeded obstructions cast up by multinationals and politics. A fair position. Transportcosts on products from the other side of the world should be added in a whole and fairly be added. Taxes on profits should be collected in a fair way. Tax paradises should be dismantled. Local companies should have a fair playing field. Maybe even a little better. And for everybody who is really adding value a fair share of the revenue.

Basic income and the financing of it can not be taken by taxing labor only. The gap , which is huge , between rich and poor really needs to be levelled. David Piketty made it very clear that the Kuznets Curve is a fairytale. Teachers however still teach it at school and most politicians still believe the fairytale. Levelling is not a way to make the rich poor but to make the poor extinct. Also to create a more tight-knit society. If we are maintaining the gaps sooner or later there will be a fight. A kind of French Revolution but on a larger scale or in a guerilla form. I would like to align with Martin Luther King: I have a dream. A dream of freedom and understanding. A dream without poverty , hunger , greed and violence.

But if that dream turns into a nightmare I will not remain timid and go up on the barricades.

Development cooperation , the Marshallplan but than different.

Posted on 23 October 2018 by Arjan

This is a nice frame. But the disadvantage is that it is short. Not placed in a context and giving a “positive” value which might be not correct.

The Marshallplan for example. The general idea is that this plan did take care of recovering or rebuilding Europe after the second world war. The Europe that was more or less in ruins. That completely needed to rise from its ashes.

However some nuances are as with everything at its place. The Marshall plan was from 1948 to 1952. Allready before 1948 , namely end of 1947 , the production level from England France and The Netherlands was allready on the level from before the war. For Germany it was a plan that made a reasonable difference. Not all countries in Europe did profit from the plan. Spain was not involved. The countries in the area of influence from the Sovjet Union did miss the boat as well. This because the Marshallplan was a mean to confine the influence of communism. Amerika did make demands in order to participate. For Italy and France it consisted of the measure that communistic parties should be removed or kept out of government. It was close to the fact that Dutch soldiers should have to fight in the Korean war. The Marshallplan did take Europe in the international economic global move of the Western world. It did give prosperity but mainly in the material way.

For the European countries the Marshallplan was reasonable simple to manage. There was one party , Amerika , who was giving the aid. They ofcourse had their whishes. In negative cases we call it demands. But the media will paint that picture. Money always puts a nice appearance over matters.

This brings me to another continent , Africa , that is already receiving aid for decennia. Latin America falls within the same problemacy but there it is going somewhat better. So it is about development cooperation.

Lots of Europeans do think in this case of the Marshallplan and their colonial past. From their colonial past I can mention lot of cases from which they should find them selve guilty. Things that have happened to earn money from Africa. Their raw materials , slavery , exploitation , violence and more. The generations before us made quite a mess of it. I do find myself guilty about that. With my current healthy mind I am now thinking: What where they doing?? Was there no healthy common sense in those days? I culture more important than common sense? The creation of riches for a few more decisive? Humanity only a creation of already achieved wealth? Psychologists should dive into this matter. In my opinion it is within the culture. It is just a pity that the best cultures are nt the strongest ones. That makes it all complicated. We are however from a different generation and should let go of the past and put it in perspective. In a respectful way/

This brings my to the aid and corresponding plans which we are applying already for decennia to the African continent.

It seems wise to have a look at the Marshallplan. Our government had the luck that there was only one party , America , was involved. This is for the countries in Africa completely different. There are many donor countries and even more ngo’s who would like to help. Imagine the situation that you need help open your front door and see a group of hundred people or more. One is giving you this. Another gives you that. Some ngo’s are even using their elbows to get in front of line. You would like to receive structural budgetary help. But the donor countries change their policy with every new election. Ngo’s mostly give aid on a certain area. Water , clothing , food , education etc….. In short based upon a theme and only shortly. Sometimes also not to you but only to your children so to say. Just give me a regular and structural contribution till the problems are solved is what you are thinking. I know best how to spend it in a right way. You can check me if you want but in the chaos of the offered help I am drowning. With me my family , relatives , brothers and country so to say.

This is more ore less the story of what is happening right now. For more details I can recommend the book: Lost in chaos / Verloren by Karel van Kesteren.

Than you will get a better insight of for example bilateral and multilateral aid. How efficient things are going. Just keep in mind that from every 150 billion spend 50 billion are waisted. This is also going to happen with the money we are putting in the energy transition.

The Declaration of Parijs should therefore be much more respected. But the ngo’s do not have to follow this declaration. Some western countries , like America , have their own agenda. Ngo’s have already so much power that they often only follow their own business model. I would be critical with donations. Deepen yourself in the subject and you will see that they often bring more chaos than there already was. One should maybe control all those ngo’s in an objective way by f.e. the United Nations and give them a quality mark.

For more information on ngo’s I recommend the book The Crisis Caravan / De Crisis Karavaan by Linda Polman. She is shortly publishing a new book on this as well.

Vacation , a time for reflection.

Posted on 15 August 2018 by Arjan

Or is it just a time to forget everything and have fun. Also an option. Recharging your battery. Read a good book. Surf on the waves but also on the internet.
Maybe you found this website and are reading this right now.

What do you think right now? Of your personal life. Your work. Your family. The country where you are staying. Do you like how it feels and looks like?
Finally some time to think on bigger things than the small daily stuff. Where am I , what am I doing and am I and/or are we going in the right direction.

I should not be writing right now. You should send us mails with things that are not feeling good. Asking us: Do you see a solutions for the problems in this world.
So please send us those mails.

Meanwhile I would like to make a more clear picture on how the world is really like. Its about people. Living somewhere. Trying to make a better life. Its maybe not the place where they where born. They maybe are also not welcome where they are. They have their own culture. A different religion from yours. You probably did not meet them as they are living in a more or less by the government designated special place in a village or town. Maybe they would like to mingle. But that is difficult because of several reasons.

There is on you tube a very nice cafe. Its called Cafe Weltschmerz. They have made a nice movie on this subject. Better to say on what the dutch minister of foreign affairs , Stef Blok , apparently thinks on this.
The movie is in Dutch by the way.

It raises questions. Should we do something with it? Can we do something with it? What should we keep in mind. From my perspective we should honor different cultures. As long as they are respecting every human and their well being. In a good culture , there are many , they will go beyond that and try to help to lift people to a higher level. Of understanding , respect , honesty and love.

If that is not the case we have to ask ourselves the question: Is that because of the culture? Or because of the people? Maybe stigmatization and or injustice plays a role here. To the culture. To the people. My question would be: Is that fair? Or is something else going on?

We might be on vacation but our mind keeps on thinking. Do it wisely.

Migration.

Posted on 21 June 2018 by Arjan

If you look at the map of the world Europe has a lot of connections. Do you know the game Risk ?? Europe is the continent with the most connections to go out but also go in.

Of course there must be a reason for it. If we go back in history. For example the time of the kolonisation. The moment in which the western civilization did perform a longlasting “pillage” over the African continent. Gained its riches and prosperity largely from it.

How would your ancestors have reacted if they had to face that faith. If for example gold , silver , diamonds , family and even your children would have been taken and sold for the wealth and a luxury life of another world.

The African continent has been kept poor and suppressed. Yes there is some development. But that development can hardly keep up with the growth of the people there. But there is aid?? To be honest. A lot is in only words. It goes mostly to the companies from western civilization and their people. The ngo’s , despite their intentions , organize it in such a way that the tasks and responsibilities which should lie with the government and people of that country are with them. It is their business model and they would like to live from it and earn as well.

The IMF and other financial institutions are giving loans to the countries. But they are asking in return respecting of free world trade and no raising of barriers. It is a thought from the neo-liberal western world which creates prosperity according them. They forget to tell that they make and have boundaries and also subsidize their own sectors. Their local markets are protected. Worse even as their production is kept artificially cheap. So cheap that for the African countries it is cheaper to buy abroad than let it locally produce by for example the local farmers. In this way you create even more poverty and dependance. Probably deliberately.

For the people there will not be much other possibilities than to find a better life else where. They don’t have guarantees in life and than it is better to have more children. One of them might do it fine. It will make the growth of the population more rapidly and higher. In time it will go to 4 billion people.

If they are not capable of creating a reasonable existance and life on their own continent they will seek other possibilities. Where?? I would know. Justified?? Surely. If they do not help to solve the problems in a good way and play it fair. Do they want to?? Do not really think so. Leaving family behind is never nice. Guarantees are not given. Dangers are numerous as the western world protects its borders.

Do ask myselve what is going to happen if not thousands or ten-thousands but hundred-thousand or millions of refugees will stand before our borders. It is a question of time. But it will not be long.

Are there solutions?? Yes , but the current world did not make good steps in that direction. They are doing the wrong thing. Again and again.

Are we going to make our social obligations happen in a wise manner?? It it is up to me. Yes !!