The Driver of Human progress

What drives human progress? I would like to think that it is free, empowered thinking, forward looking, creative innovation.
However, if you look at the underlying motivations of progress, it is fear. Fear of God or fear of not making enough money. Whatever your convictions are in a Western society, these really are the main drivers of progress. The only problem with it is, that it does not put people in a powerful position where they think openly and freely, but it rather puts people inside predefined boxes.
I am happy to understand that 1) not everyone in the Western societies thinks like this and there are great creative initiatives and truly happy people who think way out the box. 2) human progress is not driven only by the Western societies and elsewhere happy, liberated thinkers and doers come up every day with new, better, more sustainable ways of doing things.
I guess this answers why most of us do not like to be considered mainstream westerners, it is actually more of a vision of fear and slavery than a happy thought.
I guess that is why I like reading Earth, the book, it mocks our rather narrow scope of thinking. A good read, but I do not think it gives too many answers to the big questions. It merely pushes the reader to let go, smile and try to do things differently next time.

Music

When I was younger, I used to listen to Ricky Martin. I don´t listen to him any more. I listen to random music all the time - music other people listen to and I overhear. I am not even sure what band is in...but I go to more concerts than even before and hear lots of music. I just don´t consciously listen to it.
But I appreciate music more then ever before. While I am at concert, wondering about the decibels and the damage to my ears, I observe people. People dance, jump, sing along, move their limbs in a random way, whistle, scream, clap, do all kind of things. Music does not let them just stand there and observe. People participate. People with different musical preferences react to different kinds of music. But everyone knows of some music that will cheer them up of bring them down.
This is why music, among the other forms of art is still the most outstanding. Because it´s alive, not static. If one reads a poem, looks at a painting or sculpture, one is likely to have an opinion. Yet it´s not too common to dance around paintings ... (possible, though, I know).
Music triggers us.
Different music for different people.
For example, the Blower´s daughter...brings me down, but makes me feel soo alive. I guess another song does the same to you.

The solution to global problems :-)

I like bold titles :-) But just before you read on, I must warn you, you may disagree with the thoughts shared here...if you read on, I´ll be happy.
So: There are so many issues in the world - from AIDS through hunger, flood victims, to victims of wars. All developed countries (and less developed ones, too) are trying to support all kinds of charitable initiatives to tackle these problems.
By sharing responsibility, it´s no one country´s ultimate responsibility to fix anything, though. So here´s what I propose: each country should "adopt" a global problem: e.g. the Netherlands will come up with solutions to alternative energy from water (hydro, tidal, wave). They would be accountable for always developing new technologies and governments and businesses worldwide would all come to the Dutch for solutions.
I understand we´d have to work out (1) how problems would be allocated to countries, (2) how can we ensure the quality of the solution if there is no market economy involved, (3) how can we make sure solutions are offered to businesses as well even though they do not always participate in the development.
Yes, I know, the theory is not fully developed yet. But imagine, the UN would get together and list all global problems and prioritize them. Then they would estimate the cost of solving it. And countries depending on their wealth would become responsible for 1 problem each. And in case they fix it (e.g. there is no more hunger in the world), they receive a new task, the next one on the priority list.
I also understand that this approach seems to simplify the complexity of issues (e.g. such as hunger - it´s a consequence of many factors). I also accept the criticism for calling this approach very "command and control"-like, even going against the fundamentals of the currently dominant free market economic system.
Yet, I still see a point in clarity (it´s clear who does what) and accountability (countries can hold each other responsible for meeting or not meeting the timeline of projects).
Oh, and maybe someone else already came up with this theory and it was already tried and went wrong. In that case, this is just a reminder of how ideas in different people´s minds reoccur.
The underlying assumption to this approach is that (1) we all care, (2) countries are willing to become part of this regardless of the changes in the government.
So, any questions? Where do we get started?
Let me know!

Green Porn

So many people refer to examples from the animal kingdom as a symbol of hard working, domination, community organizing, etc.
For example, Mama Grizzlies have enjoyed quite some attention recently. But apparently, the animal kingdom can also answer a tougher question - and offer examples of sexual behaviour.
Isabella Rossellini does an excellent job in translating animal sexual behaviour and explaining it in an arty way!
This is not porn, this is education!
And I have the feeling that you laugh and learn a lot!
Enjoy!

Support bands

I remember when I saw Jamie Lidell assupporting artist of Bjork. I think I like his music now more than Bjork´s. And I remember seeing a great gig of the Eagles of Death metal in Prague and it was amazing and when they performed as the support band for Arctic Monkeys, I was not so convinced...
In general, support bands are great, but no matter how hard they try, they can never get the crowd crazy. I just saw Sky Larkin as support band to Les Savy Fav. Actually both bands were great, but I slightly preferred the support band. And they gave away free badges. I liked them, but in the end we bought merchandise from the Les Savy Fav. And I was left with a feeling of guilt, for having the choice and deciding to contribute to the already well off band rather than supporting what I actually liked more...
I was punished by karma for my act because my ear has been ringing since the concert (48 hours now). Why do concerts have to be bad for your health? Anyways, Sky Larkin will be back in December to support another concert. maybe I will go back and not give an awkward smile to the drummer selling their merchandise, but reach in my wallet....
Long live support bands!

When tequila knocks on the door

Familiar? Think twice next time :-)

New World Order

Well, the picture is about consumption, the one I should really use here is the one that depicts the correlation between economic development and resistance to corruption.
So, last night in a a conversation the question came up if it is economic development or resistance to corruption that needs to happen first. I thought it would be economic development. Once a person has overcome basic economic hardship, he/she is more likely to become more transparent. Now I am not sure if this approach can be also used to assess country level development.

Others in the conversation were of the opinion that first one has to become less prone to corruption and then economic development will follow (except in geographic areas where crops were easy to grow, such as in Italy, but where the development over time slowed down and transparency seems to be lacking at times). Hm, but how can one become less corrupt? What are the drivers of this change of attitude?

One driver we could agree on was the protestant religion (an excellent example for Northern Europe) where work and honesty are the highest values. So once Northern Europeans became more hard transparent, economic development followed.

Ok, but what about wealth driven by natural resources (OPEC countries)? They are economically well off, but generally not perceived as transparent. In this case, is economic development a pure consequence of oil richness and chaos will return once the wells dry up? Or can welfare also lead to more transparency and resistance to corruption over time?

And also, what about Northern Europeans becoming less religious? Will they lose the virtue of transparency? Or has the value now entered their consciousness beyond religion? By living in the online era, are we going to transform our values? As we are becoming more open, flexible, and interconnected, how is our proneness to corruption going to be affected?

How will the new world order of transparency and economic development be?

Cocorosie and others

So it all stats with either having time to write blog posts but not having much to share or doing cool stuff and never getting around to share it. It´s Friday night and the party I was going to go to turned out to be tomorrow which got me some unexpected free time. So I am trying to catch up and share a CocoRosie experience.

CocoRosie is a freak folk, hip hop, experimental duo of two sisters born in the US of A and living in Paris. The show was a perfect kitsch performance. Perfect to the last detail. The way they sound is difficult to describe - there seems to be some oriental influence, a pinch of native American sound, lots of opera and shrieks and a whole palette of some kind of instruments - from a jukebox to a harp. Now this, combined with the merry go round and pink baby with vampire teeth VJ work blends so well, I just felt like in a fairy tale land.

CocoRosie is worth a wikipedia check!
And the week did not end its share of memorable moments there....we had a living room concert last night. The singer songwriter should be performing on huge stages! She won even over CocoRosie - at least for her interaction with the audience! Seriously, the amount of talented people...I underestimated it again.

I just wish I found my talent one of these days...until then I just keep baking and promoting sustainability. I guess that´s a safe start in my case!

Seu Jorge

The Amsterdam Dance Event is on. Unlike in previous years, I made an explicit effort to participate. And it worked out, even though most parties were sold out and the weather suggested you´d better stay home if you don´t want to get completely soaked.

We went to the concert of Seu Jorge, a Brazilian musician (across several styles). The concert was great, most Brazilians in Amsterdam were there too. Having just recently been to Brazil, it was a moment of reconnection (since in Sao Paulo I did not have time to do anything cultural).
But there was another point of connection. A colleague of mine just moved recently to Brazil. The day she arrived, her husband to her to a Seu Jorge concert in Sao Paulo. So, even though I have not seen her for almost 2 months, the fact that she sang along and danced to the performance of the same artist who was now in Amsterdam created a special connected feeling.

Which was nice.
After Seu Jorge left the stage, we waited for 3.5 hrs for Jeff Mills, the legendary techno DJ from Detroit to come on stage. Many people seemed ho have enjoyed his performance even more. But at 2:30am, all I could think of was work the day after and the lack of sleep I will have. So I left. Seu Jorge created a connection he was not aware of. And that was my little secret that made me smile....

Zim

I never thought I´d go to Zimbabwe. I have never been to Africa, so starting with Zimbabwe looked like a very unlikely way to go. Until it actually happened.

Zimbabwe is a beautiful country, people are beautiful, even though most of them live in extreme hardship. The countryside is amazing, even though in October it´s rather dry and turns brown. Yet the blue lizards and the birds, the zebras, even the cattle, it all feels to beautiful, so real and down to Earth. I feel privileged for having been there, seen it and experienced it first hand.
Now, the amount of spiders - even though they are harmless - was not all that pretty, but I have made significant progress in learning how to live with them.

The most beautiful part of the experience were the stories people were telling. Stories of resilience, of hope, of innovation, of never giving up and always finding alternative solutions and new ways of dealing with reality.

I found it somehow incredible to see kids walking for miles and miles to school and sitting down in the shadow of a tree in the afternoon to read their books. My reality has been redefined in a couple of days - seeing ladies carrying baskets on their heads, babies tied to their backs, vans so full that people were hanging from the door, roads full of people walking on them with almost no cars in sight.

Hearing the local stories of why development aid does not work and what kind of investment would be needed to help the country recover was yet another reality adjustment for me.
The willingness of businessmen to develop in a sustainable way, to build communities and protect biodiversity was so humbling. If people in hardship do get the message, why don´t we?
Even though I was in Zimbabwe for less than a week, it taught me a lot about life in the developed world.

Just recently, a famous Dutch actor committed suicide. He was loved, rich, young, famous, and healthy. But he had nothing left to fight for. He had it all.

This will not be true for the people in Zimbabwe where unemployment is 90% and the 10% that works helps throughout families and villages so that everyone can survive. I do not know where they see the end of the fight against poverty. But what I saw was that rather than trying to define a timeline, they go on, day by day, adding value to their lives. Not just monetary one. Maybe they do not even thinks it´s a fight. It´s just their reality.

Under the sun, the hot red sun, the song of the birds and the grass life goes on, slowly, calmly, with a lot of will and determination. We should all go to Zimbabwe to learn something about ourselves... and it would help the country a great deal, too.

Mamy Rock

http://www.mamyrock.com/

Literally - a grandma that rocks! And who said bridging generational divides was difficult!

And not a bad DJ at all, mind you!

Fascinating, energizing and undisputably unconventional!

She's so far not scheduled to have a gig in Amsterdam, though....but look out, she the hot news of the rainy fall!

A wish come true

I had a great afternoon with a friend, sitting on a bench, enjoying one of the last sunny afternoons of the year (unfortunately). We were talking about things we´d like to achieve, how we´d like certain things to work out, what would make us even happier than we already are.
I remember hearing people say "Be careful with what you wish for". I never quite understood it, but coming to a closing of our third decade in this world, we started discussing this with my friend. And seem to have finally got the message of the statement.
When our wishes come true (when you get your dream job, when you receive a reward, when people give you the attention you want, etc.) it turns out that even this dream situation has its downsides and you are not as happy as you thought you´d be once you wish came true. When you get there, you see that no situation is perfect. And that you can always wish for more, for better (human greed?).
This seems to be a lesson that everyone has to learn for themselves, everyone needs to achieve and see how it´s really not like what we thought it would be. It is a life long process of wishing, achieving and getting disappointed. It is also helpful on the personal journey of learning how to appreciate what we have. Of making the most of the current situation instead of constantly planning a more glamorous future.
At the same time, I personally find it important to avoid getting comfortable with a mediocre situation and to stop working on my personal development, sharper yet more harmonious self-definition. It´s an exciting process to learn to appreciate the presence and working towards improving it from within.
Wishes are good, but we need to learn that nothing is ever perfect, only I can work on myself to appreciate what is given.

LUSH

It all starts with presents. I would buy Lush, Rituals and other delicious cosmetics for friends, but not for myself. Also, if I got something from these brands, I would pass it on.
Until recently. I realized that it´s meant also for me and I can spoil myself to the extent of using it. So, if I get some delicious soaps and lotions, I use them and love the feeling of it - the smell, the touch, it´s all a whole new dimension.
It´s also nice that we got lots for scented wedding gifts! And just recently, a pleasant surprise - I was looking for a book I lent to someone and could not remember, who to! And one Sunday afternoon, planting a small flower in our 30cm * 2m front yard, the neighbor brought the book back and a box full of Lush delicacies (apparently, someone dropped it off with him as we were not at home). I am very happy to be reunited with Vegetal Cities, but still do not know who had it, since there was no note with the book. Whoever you are, thank you for getting the book back and for a box full of scented goodies! I am very happy with all of it. I just feel bad about not remembering who I need to thank...
Long live natural soaps and lotions! And friends who bring your books back (by the way, I hope it was inspiring to read the book)!

Assessing it

I am trying to think of all the documentaries we have seen in the past two years about the food we eat (The Future of Food, Our Daily Bread, Food Inc, Supersize Me, and many others), about fishing (The End of the Line) about overall (un-) sustainability issues (The Yes Man, Carrot Mob, Zeitgeist, Home, The Age of Stupid, etc), climate change (the Inconvenient Truth), migratory pressures, financial crises - the list could go on for much longer....There is so much info out there!
These films also propose some really gloomy scenarios. We are all eating mass produced food (whereas distribution inequalities have reached epic proportions), we have overfished the seas, used chemical pesticides and grew non-indigenous crops, grew businesses to a size where even with the very best intentions one does not have an overview of the full supply chain and it´s impact on the environment and communities, a huge part of the ice sheet in Greenland just broke off a day ago (its size is 100 square miles and over 520 feet of thickness) and it is just floating ...there goes our fresh water supply. And there it goes in the Himalayas where it also causes floods in Bangladesh and forces people to flee.
So, it looks really gloomy. Actually, worse than that.
Nevertheless, remember when the volcano is Iceland broke out in April this year for the first time? It was massive chaos. And remember the second time? Everyone was so much more ready to deal with it. We seem to adapt to new realities so well.
So here´s my proposition (and please, feel free to challenge it): Despite the fact that we do not know how the global ecosystems will function after Greenland will be all green, after all red-listed species will disappear, after we have used up all the oil and our western societies will grow very old, but I believe that human life on Earth will continue. We´ll just eat jelly fish and roaches, we´ll lower our consumption standards out of necessity, but we´ll still be around.
I wonder if the massive global distribution inequality will be reduced....but nonetheless, we´ll be here, possibly fighting over something we perceive as scarce, whereas it´s abundant.
I wish governments and captains of industry created a bigger wave of change and brought about a systemic change in the way we live. To start thinking in a long term, holistic way is (in my opinion) the solution. Yet, this needs to happen not on moral grounds, but based on the business case we create with sustainability. This would be the best case scenario. I see so many initiatives, so many enlightened well connected people who are working for this change, but I do not see the critical mass forming fast enough.
This is the reason for my proposition: even if we do not change our ways of doing business and consuming fast enough, we´ll eventually learn to adapt - learn to take care of ourselves, possibly even grow our urban food, live in less comfortable conditions, do whatever it takes. And start all over again. There were plagues in the middle ages. There were wars, economic crises...there were even times when our ancestors didn´t quite control fire. And look how far we got.
This is not to say that we should stop trying to fix what we are destroying - it is just to say that I see the light at the end of the tunnel, that I believe we´ll make it. It may not be the brightest sunlight at the end of the tunnel, but it´s not all that dark either.
How do you see this (not) happening? What will be left of us?

Sunflowers

I was looking for inspiration on a cloudy August morning. August mornings are generally sunny, in most parts of the world. Not so often in Amsterdam.
Last Saturday some friends came over to eat delicious lamb stew and cataplana (I guess the Algarve version of paella), have some delicious drinks and finsh with my home made cakes. (I have fallen in love with maknig cakes - it's a very relaxing process. And I rarely follow a recipe - which gives me as much space for creativity as I am willing to create for myself.)
Anyways, apart from the great (often unfinished) conversations and the many extra bottles of wine we now have at home, I got some flowers (Ik ben gek op bloemen!!!). Among the flowers were also sunflowers.
Since I have also bought a bouquet of sunflowers on Saturday morning at the market, our tiny apartment was getting very full of sunflowers. So I brought some to work today.
It it worked magic - the contrast with the grey sky was way too big. The yellow of the sunflowers is so full of life, warmth and optimism! It even turned the grey sky somewhat sunnier!
Long live the power of flowers!

Empathic Civilization

I would like to recommend a pretty awesome (and calming) animated video on the Empathic Civilization. Delivered by Jeremy Rifkin at the Royal Society of Arts, drawn by I am not sure who, but really well.
I am one of the lucky dudettes who saw Jeremy Rifkin live negotiating with the President of the European Commission about a carbon free economy. But Mr. Rifkin was on the side of hydrogen and the European public opinion was not. So, no deal.
Nevertheless, good and constructive thinking!
It's Friday afternoon and the only empathy I feel right now is towards a bed I would like to curl up in - or maybe a drink on a sunny terrace before..hmmm...very tempting.
Anyways, if you have 10 minutes and would like to learn about a new evolutinoary theory, click on the one above.
Cheers!

Unexpected

So we were at the Snoop Dogg concert on Monday night at Rabozaal in Melkweg. I was sitting there, listening to music I would sometimes find vulgar, and then it all clicked.
There was something clean and sharp about his performance. There was a connection with the audience, sympathy and yet the cool attitude with the diamond glove / microphone. There was cursing, plenty of weed, and yet something extremely coherent, very professional, neat and smart.
And then I thought: I will write in my blog about people who inspire me. Not only people who derictly work to change the world, but anyone in whom I can spot that special something. For me, in Snoop Dogg it was his sharpness, his alignment with his message yet an elegant way.
I have to admit, I was impressed....I didn´t quite drop it like it was hot, but I saw a great professional on stage. Who entertained for 90 minutes sharp, with his two bodyguards like wardrobes on the sides of the stage. With the diamond glove mic. It really worked for me!
It´s amazing how you find inspiration sometimes in places that you don´t expect.
And that´s it.
Someone stole the front wheel of my bike today. I may just track the person down and see if I find something inspiring in him...

Expectations

Or maybe assumptions....I see parallels between the FIFA cup and all other aspects of life. So far, none of the matches have ended the way I would have predicted them before the world cup started. I am now wondering if I should adjust my expectations going forward or my favorite teams smarten up and do not kick the ball to hard if they know it will fly to far....
Anyways, I see myself betting on other people´s success, and lack of it. But it does not always work out according to my expectations. And then it´s me: I bet on my successes and failures and sometimes it just happens differently. If I am sure of something, it can still work out differently then I thought. And that is when I feel very happy or extremely down. Thus it seems that breaking down expectations would help avoid feeling down if something doesn´t work out.
This sounds good, but that means also watching the final f the world cup without any emotion - to avoid disappointment.
And that thought is not too appealing to me. Life is supposed to feel like something after all, right?
Even though expectations and assumptions are generally not very helpful, we cannot live without them - they drive us, give us hope, give us worries, whatever to make us feel alive - to give us downs - and amazing, intoxicating UPS :-) (Not the United Parcel Service)

Global crises made fun

I am listening to the 2010 FIFA Theme Song by K´naan. And finally the long searched pieces of the puzzle came together: people ask why there is never so much excitement around UN general assembly meetings as there is around the world cup. Why Copenhagen failed even though people walked, cycled and swam there from all over the world? Why the whole sustainability conversation is becoming a nuisance before it reached it´s tipping point?

Was there a theme song associated with them? Were people betting on the outcome? Did people wave flags and wear colorful wigs? Did everyone move in one one rhythm, did people really connect for the purpose? Did people hang out with friends, having something to drink, to eat and staring glued at the screen while making jokes, yelling at the players thousands of kilometers away, jump out excited every time a player approached the goal?

It is true, sustainability has become a fashion thing, but it has never really become FUN, something that connects us out of joy instead of necessity.
So, to all those campaigning for a more connected, more responsible future - MAKE IT FUN! Make people´s feet dance, but fundamentally, not here and there every now and then!

Let´s see if COP 16 in Mexico can make the FUN and the change - the success. We still have time - good 5 months!

Summer's here

Not only have I not written for over a month, I am still out of ideas that could be topics of general interest. I feel like writing up a list of bullet points on all the things happening in the world and in my life. But that is not too helpful, either.

So I will write about the spring / summer in Amsterdam that again makes all my doubts about the city vanish. I have just had a not entirely pleasant tax attorney on the phone for 20 minutes, and not having resolved my issue, I still feel no anger. I must be because I see the Magere Brug from my office window. And the sun is shining.

Friends are coming to town, we are going to places, having a good time all over. What else? There are some major international issues as we speak (such as the BP oil spill, the Israeli attack on the aid convoy, the resignation of the Japanese prime minister, just to mention a few), but since I now feel an urge to enjoy the sun and do my job well to maximize my impact in my own position & live a sustainable life, I can only observe the development on the international scene.

And, the World Cup is starting. Summer is here. BBQ and picnic time almost every day. We live in the city with amazing parks all over the place. With canals to avoid dry air. With a comfortable background. It's fantastic, but maybe it's unfair and wrong. Nevertheless, would "not enjoying what you have" also not be wrong?

So, let's just let it flow... and go with the flow... and have an amazing early summer 2010 (I am still tempted to type 2009)....

Just live with it?

I read a newspaper article this morning, about gypsy women is Slovakia. How they are treated as "damaged goods" if they do not give birth by their 16th birthday. How many of them escape from hospital after giving birth to please their husbands sexual desire before he has time to go pay a visit to the neighbor's wife.
I have recently seen the movie Precious, where a girl was continuously raped by her father and gave birth to two children.
I know that in our society women are way better off then elsewhere. Practically, we are equal to men. We have the same rights, yet sex industry and sexism in advertisement and showbiz continues. If it's by choice, be my guest. I do not mind at all if ladies out of their free will accept being treated as a sexual object.
I mind if it affects me.
I mind if someone misleads and and disrespects me.
I mind if I am valued for who I please and not for myself.
I am aware of the fact that any woman's situation in the western world is so much better than in other cultures. And I am thankful for that.
But I do not understand why is it fun to make sexist jokes, why is it okay for men to joke about their wives, why are women still working against their will in the sex industry, why are women so often still having to put up even with the infidelity of their partners and silently stay by their side.
Just thinking about it makes me shake with anger. Just because something is common practice, it does not mean that it should stay that way. Women have the same right as men. I want them to have same respect as men.
Women are amazing creatures. Not objects of desire. Not items to possess.
I am a woman. I am different from a man. But I do not give up on demanding the same respect as I offer to men. I wonder how other ladies feel about it.
I do not want to call myself a feminist. I a a humanist - wanting equal respect for both genders. What is the level of respect depends on the individuals. I for example would like to be treated as I treat others.
And if that is not good enough, treat me back badly. My own fault.
But I just cannot live with "that's just the way it is". That will not get us any further.

Queensday

It is not the Queens birthday, but we celebrate is nevertheless. With the whole city becoming a marketplace, a massive concert hall.
It starts the night before the "Birthday". I would like to be there right now. But my kidneys decided to hurt, so I just decided to stay at home and catch up with friends online.
This occasion in town also attracts many other people who actually do not live here and they all want to catch up. It´s a nice period, also because it´s already spring and it´s a public holiday.
Basically, this day mark the beginning to festivities in the city - BBQs in parks, outdoor festivals, enjoying a white beer on the terrace of a cafe after work... oh, Queen´s day marks the beginning of the fun part of the year.
And about the rest of the year...let´s not think about it now.
So, let me go back to watching tv and sweating to get cured so that I can dive into the joyful city tomorrow morning!
The thing is, the city is too crowded to meet the people you are actually looking for. But there is a good chance you run into many others, almost forgotten acquaintances!
Long live the Queen!

Busy

Spring is here and it feels like you have to do 200 things at the same time - pick up dusty hobby projects and bring them back to light, take a few personal development courses (that you don´t find the time to do homework for), finally ask the physiotherapist about the cure to your back pain, visit friends in neighboring countries, get your family to visit you for a celebration, celebrate the Queen´s birthday and sigh with relief that you won´t vote in the national elections.
And this is just a start - organize and attend parties, dinners, BBQs, lend a shoulder to your friends who do not see the joy in the spring and - goes without saying - perform beyond anyone´s expectation at work.
Yeyyy, so much fun! Going to have a drink to celebrate activity :-)

GRI conference

Today I go for the straightforward post: an update on something happening in Amsterdam and very relevant to anyone
1) caring about sustainability
2) wanting to find out more about the changing landscape on actors in the field of sustainability
3) interested in hearing the latest news from the world´s top 100 sustainability people
4) wanting to network with leaders in the field.
I will be there for sure. It´s still not too late to sign up.
See you there, too?

Deep Democracy

Just came back from a two day workshop on Deep Democracy (http://deep-democracy.net/). I recommend for anyone who has been in difficult situations of deliberating to have a look at it. The basic concept build on the fact that if 50% + 1 vote for a certain thing, it goes through. It is still decided by the majority, but leaves 50% -1 unhappy with the outcome.
To give you a taste of what Deep Democracy does as a social technology, it acknowledges the position of those who did not win the vote and explores how to avoid them becoming disengaged (or even working against the majority) by posing a simple question:
What do you need to come along?
It explores what is it the majority will need to do to not lose the minority. Depending on the topic of deliberation, the answer will vary - from "I am fine with it" to "I need to vote again, I do not believe we did not come out on top".
There is an elaborate theory on how to use this tool. Nevertheless, there are some tricks that can be used even out of context and they are still extremely helpful in helping organizations keep their coherence.

What really matters - and when

The sustainable and responsible lifestyle of the Bhutanese and several African and South-American communities is an inspiring story. The connectedness to one's environment and the community of living at large is a powerful example.

Sometimes, when empathy and care seems so absent from our lives, pragmatism and survival seems to be the main message that comes across. I have however recently become aware of two cases that allowed me to think: when the time comes, even though it will be painful, we, as humanity or as smaller communities, will return to our roots, our values and re-evaluate our way of being.

The first story is about Iceland, in September 2009, during the unimaginable economic recession.The news came on Euronews: Jon Olafsson, a social sciences professor, said that the heroes of yesterday are considered the villains of today, and that people's values and lifestyles are changing together with a shift in mindset. This extraordinary example shows, that once circumstances change and we cannot go around living our life as before, we may be at the right spot to rethink, what we actually are doing right and what really matters. Material possessions matter, but maybe not as much as we often think they do.

The other example was Haiti - the news in the New York Times reported "Fighting Starvations, Haitians Share Portions", saying that new rules of hunger etiquette were emerging. Regardless of how hungry the person is who receives food, it always needs to be shared. Many women started up improvised soup kitchen selling food at discounted price. Even though it will be very difficult for the country to get out if its current situation, people are not sitting around idly, but are trying to rebuild their lives, thereby even becoming social entrepreneurs and caring for the community's needs.

Haitians are in this together and while the Western world is trying to help out, it will be up to the locals to rebuild their lives. It is beautiful to see that they are already doing so - based on the laws of sharing and caring. While no one knows how the road to recovery will look in Haiti, it is already visible that the Haitians will do their best to to it together, to be there for each other, to create an economy based on sharing, not on quick growth.

There are beyond doubt mane more similar cases, even in our respective neighborhoods. These examples are truly powerful and empowering. These prove that an alternative way of thinking and acting is possible and viable. It makes 2010 a really hopeful year and the years ahead even more so.

Paris

I wanted to write a post about the WACAP conference organised by the UNDP in Rotterdam on 24-26 February, which aimed to empower cities and municipalities to fight poverty and social exclusion. And I hope to come back to that theme.
But more importantly (for me), we have just spent a weekend in Paris and that experience took over the space of WACAP in my brain. Paris, mon amour, pour toujours....
I used to study in Paris and had quite a hard time. And I have not gone back there for 6 years. Until last week. The city changed - the restaurant I used to work at is now an artist atelier. Yet the monuments of the city look exactly the same way they did six years ago. Saint Michel, Jardin de Luxembourg, Place de Vosges, Ile Saint Louis....sheer beauty!
There were also a lot of those who did not make use of the numerous Cartier and Lancel stores. Poverty was around before and was there now. Pickpockets have equipped themselves with new tricks. Everyone seemed to be a smoker. There was decadence, shopping and something that vaguely reminded me of good food and art.
An amazing weekend, though.
The experience was quite different from my previous visits to the town. It is strange to think about it, but it was mainly because I was somewhat less broke than on previous encounters with the city of romance, decadence, Serge Gainsbourg, fashion and elegance.
I have an itch to go back, soon again!

Pragmatic generation

I attended a lunch talk yesterday at the Hub (www.the-hub.net - in case you are interested). The theme of the conversation was social innovation in the city - it came down to social cohesion and how to make it happen in a creative, co-creating way.
I never really thought about the role of generations - Generaton X, Y, Z (Digital Natives), Baby Boomers, Baby Busters, Lost Generation etc. But a gentleman at the lunch talk yesterday said to us: you are a pragmatic generation - you are not fighting against anything, you are fighting FOR what you believe in.
While I agree with that, I still believe I am more of an idealist than a pragmatist. After all, I am Generation Y. Until I looked up on Wikipedia the "List of Generations". It turns out, that being born in 1980 still puts me in the Generation X category. Which is a wake up call,
I am looking at my birth date now.... 1980. It really sounds so last millennium.
Pragmatist last millennium. So I sit here and try not to get too passionate about the things I find important, about things I disagree with, about anything. I am trying be be a pragmatist Generation X person.
But since I find it difficult, it gives me hope that I may just not fit the usual description of any generation, since I was born in a particular part of the world, with specific experiences that did not make the Generation X features strong in me.
After all, Generation X,Y,Z only fits some people, not so much others. And that's fine. We do not need to squeeze ourselves into tight little boxes.
Let's just be - passionate or pragmatic - whatever works for you!

Working together

So I decided to put my energy and effort into a for profit initiative to bring awareness to businesses on sustainable practices. For almost nothing, for less than unemployment benefit (it's also true that I am not entitled to this "uitkering"). Full time. Getting the project off the ground, lots of things done.

A kind person recently told me that "You must be really desperate to make a difference!". I smiled. And now I smile again. For for a different reason. One has ultimately no one else to blame for certain choices but themselves.

Being into personal development and community building, yet also on the journey of defining my borders, I took the role on and tried to be assertive, yet hard working. Working a lot, delivering results for almost nothing. For helping a company to build a project I would not be around to enjoy the benefits of. Fully understanding that I do it for the purpose, for large companies rethinking certain ways. Yet, I also hoped to generate open communication and feedback loops.

I got my feedback this morning, while getting ready to engage some organisations for potential partnership. It said, "Thank you, that's it. We work with different rules. You can leave. Now."
Oops, that is normally not what an open, adaptive organisation would say. At least for sure they would not start the conversation with this. So, here I am, feeling better about not working for something I believe in with people I find hard to believe in. When you look back, it becomes all clear, the messages you should have picked up on earlier. It did not happen, though. So I smile. Yes, maybe I was just a tiny bit to desperate to make a difference since I have no agreement on paper. If with nothing else at all, I will walk away richer. In experience.

Sometimes you are not aware of the things you are capable of doing. In this role, I could sometimes hardly believe the success I achieved in a day. Real confidence boost.
I also learnt that there are many people out there not open to personal development, and despite being great people, they still hold on too tight to the command & control type of management.

I learnt that I need to watch my back better. And that I need to find ways to get people to talk before they explode and there is no way back.
Well, all in all, it was great. But I hope I won't do it again! :-)

High Potential

Last night - one of my volunteer activities - I had the opportunity to work with 20+ high potential "allochtonen" - non-Dutch students. They were between 20 and 24, working at banks, municipalities, doing UN internships, etc. There was so much ambition in the room, that I wondered how I will manage to ask them "What do you still need to improve about yourself?". They did not need improvement - in their own perception. So we did an exercise. It was a challenge to keep them focused and invite them to re-examine their ways.
I did a similar exercise last year. With the previous group. Yesterday, some of them came to share their experience from the year long program. I remember, last year the room was full of ambitions and will, too. I was wondering how last year's group has changed. And they have changed - they have become more grounded, calm, but did not lose their determination. They were fully present. One of them said that she met a lot of people, great networking opportunities. And not only can you network for yourself, but also for the others. So I thought, how great! They have become aware of the true power of networking. Just do it and make the best connections happen. Don't worry, you will not lose your position by letting other benefit from your network.

I also saw this high potentials as hungry for success. Do the morally right thing. I am still an idealist, but I have given up looking for absolute answers. They haven't. It is also fine to be very ambitious and embark on a corporate journey. It may be the right journey for some. All I would like to help them see, that there are alternatives to that journey. That there are no absolute answers and it's a matter of balancing ways forward. Why not try doing good and doing well, for example?

Can you ever get over it?

I am not even fully aware of the definition of social intelligence, but I intuitively think, that smiling and being nice to those around you is part of it.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Netherlands, and admire their egalitarian approach to everything. I like how they do not make big deals out of things.
On the other hand, having to prepare for your interaction with those working in the service industry as one would prepare for a minor battle, does take a lot of energy. I just came back from the pharmacy... I felt terrible about daring to disturb the ladies standing in front of shelves reaching up to the ceiling, not wearing a white coat, putting boxes here and there and then back here, for signature and then with a piece of paper back there.
My box of medicine was within the reach of my arm, on the counter, but it has not been checked out yet by the head pharmacist (?). So I stood. Like the other fellow intruders, we were taken for thin air. We were even afraid to talk to each other not to disturb the box relocating process. But frustration was building up.
I just want that little box. I do not mind any more the state of health insurance, I am willing to pay for it. Just let me have it. But no... Ultimately one of the ladies came over and after 10 minutes of soundless waiting, almost a tear of despair in my eye, I got the box!!! Victory!
I left the pharmacy, feeling the cold Amsterdam air felt so refreshing, I was not the intruder at the pharmacy any more.
And now I needed milk. But I could pick it up at the supermarket where I did not have to wait at the mercy of shopkeeper, I just took it from the shelf and rejoice the young girl at the counter, who does not look at me and looks extremely bored, but at least she scans all my groceries in 20 seconds and I am out and free of the service industry again...for hours!!!!
Still, I will not get it. Everyone likes being smiled at. Do not people in the service industry understand that smiling is the first step to building lasting relationships with clients?
Or am I missing out on something?

The luxury problem

Given the current economic downturn, many people have found themselves out of jobs and struggling to find their next engagement. Most people are out of their usual jobs by necessity, not so much by choice.
In that respect, I belonged to the luckier ones - I have decided to move on despite an offer to stay. Once you know what matters to you and you know what capacities you have to contribute to making your dream job happen, you just have to go. In turns out that many young people realised at the same time as myself, that having a CSR related, responsible and connected job is what they want. This made a market in Amsterdam rather saturated. I have heard that to positions where previously 10 people would apply, organizations are now receiving over 200 applications. It's even so hard to make sure anyone actually has the time to read all those CVs and motivation letters through.
And it's just as hard to stay motivated as a job seeker.
I was again on the lucky end of the spectrum, I was volunteering for an NGO I highly admired and we created some interesting programs. Yet at the end of the day, some income is necessary to keep going. So I kept looking.
And then it happened.
The luxury problem - I got 3 job offers in one week. All the the range of what I was looking for, with minor trade offs. What do you do? Which way do you take? How do you explain to yourself and those who offered you the jobs you end up not taking why you decided the way you did?
So I googled the solution: "How to build a good career" - I looked up all the criteria that you should base your decision on.
I talked to a motivational speaker and asked him what he would do. I tried to sleep over it. And nothing, I was still struggling to decide. I was blaming it on my zodiac (I am a libra). But still...
And then, I went about it the other way.
I asked why would I accept each of the offer. And I came to the core of the issue. If I accepted one, eventually, I would be very exhausted from commuting. The other one I would have accepted for the team. And the third I would have accepted for myself, for my ambition, to prove to myself that I can make it.
Success is still not guaranteed. But I made my choice. At least temporarily (the offer is temporary).
So, sad story turned good story turned reality. Let's see where this road leads.
The cups in the picture have nothing to do with the text. I just liked the picture. And the are three cups, all slightly different. And I had 3 offers.

The Geopolitics of Emotion

Despite having studied international relations, I do not remember having come across Dominique Moisi! I have heard of Gilpin´s and Kissinger´s approach to geopolitics, which always seemed like a realistic "Homo homini lupus" approach. Sad, cold and rational.
I came across an article my Mr. Moisi the other day. Since then I have understood that his theory has been around for some time and that many scholars have already lined up to support him. But somehow, I have not come across it before.
Nevertheless, the point is that he looks at geopolitics from an emotional perspective - that of fear and hope. He suggests (among others) the the US culture is dominated by individual fear and collective hope. Whereas the Western European one is guided by collective fear.
Mr. Moisi has 2 scenarios for 2025, depending on humanity being guided by fear or hope.
If guided by fear: after the 2018 4th Intifadah, the Middle East is in complete chaos. Terrorist groups are gaining power, they have already employed biological weapons that killed some 30.000 people. Nation states´ borders are closed down, everyone bacame suspicious and fearful of "the other".
If guided by hope: the USA is the greenest economy of the world, the EU has become united, Turkey joined the EU as a whole and business practices have become much more sustainable. Oh, and the Middle-East problem has been solved.
OK, these brief scenarios do not mention other major powers (Russia, China, India, SAR, Brazil Mexico, rest of Asia, Africa), but it gives you the idea of the severity of the state.
Now, the choice is ours. Fear or hope? apparently, we are too comfortable in our mental models to invest into looking at the world with hope.

Another example of being in flow

The other day I was decorating a shawl with beads. I wanted to decorate its both ends symmetrically. I got some beads and divided them into two equal heaps. And I started sewing. Halfway the first side, I thought I do not have enough beads in this group to finish my pattern. Or maybe I do. No, i don´t think so. Well, let´s just see. - I was having this conversation with myself, looking for alternative solutions - maybe I need to buy more beads. Maybe I will just leave it unfinished. Or maybe I will have enough beads? No, that´s unlikely.
I observed changes in my productivity depending on the paradigm I was thinking in ' in the one of hope or that one of surrender.
So, I ran out of beads for one end of the shawl. And my pattern was unfinished. So my boyfriend asked, why don´t you chose another pattern for the other end? A smaller one, maybe. Good thinking - I thought, and started sewing on the other hand. Again, without counting the actual number of available beads.
After some time, I finished the pattern and had beads left to return to the first edge of the shawl and finish that one. It all worked out beautifully.
Yet in the process I had doubts, I was looking for alternatives, I even came close to giving up. Fortunately, as I let go of the in-the -box thoughts, everything came together and I managed to finish the job and feel good about it!

2010, the year of...

What will happen in 2010? Elections. Yes. Dynamic development of international relations and diplomacy (now that the EU has it's "faces" as well). Yes. The winter Olympic and Paralympic games in Vancouver. Greening economies, recovering from the recession, yes. Addressing global challenges. Hopefully.
In 2010 we'll have have the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion - http://www.2010againstpoverty.eu/. It is rather inward focused - no mention of global poverty and exclusion, at least not for now....
In 2010, the European Cultural Capitals are Essen in Germany, Istanbul in Turkey and Pecs in Hungary. If this choice provokes you, feel free to start a discussion about it. I find the choice great, an out of the box step. It makes me proud...
What else will be 2010 known for? It's also maybe up to you.

BUEK /PF 2010

I have somehow not managed to upload a festive post before the Christmas holidays. Neither during them (but then I had no intention to be connected to the world wide web). Yet now I would like to wish you a belated happy new year, a successful and prosperous 2010.
Making plans for 2010, personal and professional ones makes one be able to map things out better. This will be a big year, no doubt. Business is changing, consumers habits are changing, technological development continues to accelerate - it will be a decisive year for Twitter, for space research and alternative energies. But most of all, it should be a year when we take time to get grounded, to assess what went wrong in 2009 (and what went well, for that matter) and build on the experience. And to take time to do things that really matter. Make Christmas decorations, write birthday cards, read the newspapers, catch up with friends ... and be happy for each others' success.