Since I am currently not working full time, I have the time to contemplate. One of my favourite activities, only sometimes my brain seems to overheat :-)
So, last night in Dutch class my classmate said (we were doing some grammar exercises): Ik heb nog nooit zeekreeft gegeten. (I have never eaten a lobster.)
And I thought, how wonderful! There is a small drive this person has, a small dream that he could fulfill if he really wanted (there are some accessible restaurants in town with great seafood). But he chooses to dream of it rather than going for it. Well, I think if you never eat lobster in your life, your life shall not be dull and grey due to that fact.
I also have a dream. Small and silly. I would like a leather jacket. And every season in the shops of Amsterdam there are about 10 new models. But I never buy one. I always convince myself that I do not actually need it (which is by definition, true). So I keep dreaming of it, but maybe I will never get one. And I feel comfortable with it.
Because (apart from wanting to see businesses become much more connected to their environments), I have a small dream and it makes me feel human. It makes me wish for it and play with the feeling, trying to not let the "want" take me over.
And of course, again, both the lobster and the leather jacket are really not basic products we need for everyday survival.
There are people out there going to sleep hungry and wearing our long forgotten given-away clothes.
Lobster and a leather jacket - how far fetched these concepts may be for them. How superfluous to a happy life!
Taking energy for granted
With the arrival of the rains and the cold season to Amsterdam, I returned home in the afternoon, hoping to turn up the intensity of the heating system. Oh, and a hot shower would have been nice, too. Nevertheless, the heating system refused to response. I called the plumbers. They came and said we were lucky not to have exploded, the whole system needs to be fixed. I asked how long, he said a few days.
It took over a week. In this week, I went to the gym a few times to take a shower, for the rest, I was heating up water in a pot, mixing it with cold water and pouring it in small dosages over myself. After the "cleaning procedure", there were no warm clothes to put on, no warm corner to sit in. So it was hot tea and a thick blanket that kept us going. After a few days I almost got used to this solution.
And then, one sunny autumn morning, the heating system started to work again. And now I am getting used to the luxury of a warm apartment and the possibility of taking a shower any time I feel like it! It is all here, in this 39 square meters. Warmth, internet, connection to the outside world, all possible entertainment gadgets, best food one could wish...what an extremely comfortable life we lead!
And the whole experience made me appreciate the energy supply each household in this country has. Made to understand that things we here take for granted, are actually not granted by far to everybody, everywhere.
And indeed, from a global perspective, it indeed is a luxury!
It took over a week. In this week, I went to the gym a few times to take a shower, for the rest, I was heating up water in a pot, mixing it with cold water and pouring it in small dosages over myself. After the "cleaning procedure", there were no warm clothes to put on, no warm corner to sit in. So it was hot tea and a thick blanket that kept us going. After a few days I almost got used to this solution.
And then, one sunny autumn morning, the heating system started to work again. And now I am getting used to the luxury of a warm apartment and the possibility of taking a shower any time I feel like it! It is all here, in this 39 square meters. Warmth, internet, connection to the outside world, all possible entertainment gadgets, best food one could wish...what an extremely comfortable life we lead!
And the whole experience made me appreciate the energy supply each household in this country has. Made to understand that things we here take for granted, are actually not granted by far to everybody, everywhere.
And indeed, from a global perspective, it indeed is a luxury!
The role of profit in the triple bottom line
The triple bottom line stands for people, planet and profit. Economy should function in service of these three Ps if it is to function successfully in the long term. If it is to function sustainably.
Yesterday I heard somebody say that "I'm willing to conduct business sustainably, if I can make a lot of money on it". Hm, I was intrigued. Sustainability and profit. What is their interrelation? I have thought about it a lot already, and the statement I just heard was not in line with my conclusions.
Nevertheless, profit is important, I agree, too. But can it be a driver of sustainable business? I still have my doubts. If a business is conducted in service of the people and without harming the planet, it should ultimately generate profit. Right. I agree with this approach. Profit is a consequence of sustainable conduct, and not the driver of it.
That is what makes profit in the triple bottom line different for me from business as usual.
And yes, investments into "greening the business" should bring about returns. Profit is the oil of the 3Ps. I wonder how many businesses are already thinking along these lines. And how many of them will make it to the Fortune 500. Will there still be a Fortune 500 in a responsible, sustainable world?
Yesterday I heard somebody say that "I'm willing to conduct business sustainably, if I can make a lot of money on it". Hm, I was intrigued. Sustainability and profit. What is their interrelation? I have thought about it a lot already, and the statement I just heard was not in line with my conclusions.
Nevertheless, profit is important, I agree, too. But can it be a driver of sustainable business? I still have my doubts. If a business is conducted in service of the people and without harming the planet, it should ultimately generate profit. Right. I agree with this approach. Profit is a consequence of sustainable conduct, and not the driver of it.
That is what makes profit in the triple bottom line different for me from business as usual.
And yes, investments into "greening the business" should bring about returns. Profit is the oil of the 3Ps. I wonder how many businesses are already thinking along these lines. And how many of them will make it to the Fortune 500. Will there still be a Fortune 500 in a responsible, sustainable world?
The lights...
Yesterday I had the chance to see the premiere of the La Bayadere ballet in Amsterdam. It was breathtaking, what an amazing performance! I was taken into a fairy tale land and felt like the whole world would be so much more elegant if we all danced around in ballet moves. Well, I guess it will not happen, but it was still a nice thought.
At times the stage was full of dancers, all in amazing costumes and fantastic focus on their pieces. Then there were moments of solo dancing. During one of these moments I realized that the light always followed perfectly the moves of the dancer, even though they changed direction quite abruptly. Yet not one mistake - the light always followed them.
And that was natural. Unnatural would be if the light lost the dancer. The person in charge of the lights remained invisible throughout the play, yet his work was so crucial to the success of the overall performance.
The invisible, yet crucial ingredient for the success reminded me of Jean Monnet of who those interested in the history of the European Integration know a lot. He did a big part of the preparation of the ECSC, yet did not push himself into the spotlight. I consider him kind of a "servant leader". And the same is valid for the person in charge of the lights last night. There are many more people who we do not see, but who make our lives so much smoother.
I really admire them for staying in the back and guiding us from there instead of carrying a flag in the front. I even hope to be like them!
Make you mind not move
We are constantly on the run from somewhere to some other place that turns out to be as we expected it. We are constantly trying to absorb information, sometimes in an unfiltered way that than causes random ideas to not fit in any mental framework we have until it gets lost again. It's colors, sounds, impressions, feelings, desires, regrets, tasks, responsibilities, deep thoughts, religious commitments, etc. - thoughts constantly flying through our head, some returning after a few hours, most of the time in a disconnected (list-like) way.
What are your plans for the weekend? Where do you want to go for holidays? What will you get for who for Xmas? How will you find your next job? Why are they playing this music on tv?
Constant flow of questions - this is a place I often find myself at. At mental movement. I do not want my brain to go idle and just hang out in my head because it's kinda warm and cozy in there. I am constantly dumping information in it, often even pushing it to make connections between individual pieces of information.
Well, I am not good at listening to podcasts and to iPods, though, so the outside - in flow is not constant. At least not through my ears.
And today I saw this Poonja video about "making your mind not move". It is unlikely that I can do it for a long time. Yet when you just stop for a moment when I am in the middle of a zillion things, all of the sudden I felt like a boat at the haven, like I have arrived and things got really calm around me. What a great feeling. Things will come to you, to me, even if we are not constantly trying to fit it into our existing frameworks.
Just let it emerge. And make sure your mind is present to spot it.
What are your plans for the weekend? Where do you want to go for holidays? What will you get for who for Xmas? How will you find your next job? Why are they playing this music on tv?
Constant flow of questions - this is a place I often find myself at. At mental movement. I do not want my brain to go idle and just hang out in my head because it's kinda warm and cozy in there. I am constantly dumping information in it, often even pushing it to make connections between individual pieces of information.
Well, I am not good at listening to podcasts and to iPods, though, so the outside - in flow is not constant. At least not through my ears.
And today I saw this Poonja video about "making your mind not move". It is unlikely that I can do it for a long time. Yet when you just stop for a moment when I am in the middle of a zillion things, all of the sudden I felt like a boat at the haven, like I have arrived and things got really calm around me. What a great feeling. Things will come to you, to me, even if we are not constantly trying to fit it into our existing frameworks.
Just let it emerge. And make sure your mind is present to spot it.
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