The Netherlands are a quite specific country. It is small, but it likes to "think big". It is cosmopolitic, but it is also quite indifferent towards well, is it the rest of the world? Not in the economical sense, that's for sure. In the political sense the focus becomes increasingly nearower though, and I'm not only reffering to the latest anti-Europe elections. When I worked briefly with the United Nations in 2003, already the staff at the Dutch mission was complaining about the lost of interest in the world from The Hague.
So, what is the deal here? Friends from Norway tell me the same thing is going on over there, everybod is panicing about the possible loss of a second car, crying about this huge economic recession that is going on. And for some it is indeed a big recession, here in Holland the salvation army had to reopen the "Food Banks", in some places people line up for it. In the Netherlands the top ten richest country in the world, in 2005. But the majority, lets be honest, will survive perfectly. Their wealth will increase. But the hunger, to posses more, increases as well. What is the reason for this anxiety? And, can it be used for the good? It would be great if some of the huge efforts that are put in the design of yet another bottle of shampoo could be used to solve some of the environmental problems.
Personaly, I don't hink you can expect from people to change their nature, greed will remain. Behavior can be changed though, although difficult, it can be done. Coca cola does it every day. So, how do we start this Great Manipulation? Can we try massa hypnosis of some kind?
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