Because life has so much more to offer

Today we are at a tipping point. The ways of thinking among leading figures seem to consist of extremes. Something has to change, and philosophy would not be philosophy if he could not help us with this. A challenging starting point to find an answer to what way of thinking we should use and therefore what our world should look like, is to pretend that we are on a space journey. Suppose we meet extraterrestrial life many light years away from the Earth and they ask us to describe our earthly existence. What do we want to be able to tell about our world? We must remember that these extraterrestrial beings will objectively look at our life on earth, and the things that we take for granted from our position, they may find very strange or unfair. Let us therefore “prepare” and look at the world objectively to discover what could be improved. Let’s create a fair and beautiful world together. Then we are immediately prepared for the future.

I would like to tell about a world where all people are respected. A world where the burning out of racism is a priority. A world in which no difference is made on the basis of special and meaningful religion, skin color on the spectrum from light to dark, gender with regard to one’s own identity and many other characteristics that guarantee the uniqueness and individuality of each person. I think we can achieve this through an extremely moral way of thinking, a way of thinking that gets as many children as possible into the cradle and that is strengthened at school. Confrontations with multiculturalism occur already in childhood and stimulate connectedness. Because neophobia exists and is human, but as long as we realize this and correct it, it doesn’t have to be a problem. Adults must set an example, something that unfortunately is not always the case today. It is important to know that we not only cán do this, but that we múst do this. We live in an increasingly global world, a world in which exclusion often has major consequences for the excluded but also for the exclusors when the ball bounces back. We have no other choice, only this is how we reach the future.

We must look at the earth as our own child. Commit to a sustainable planet and encourage others to do so. See the urgency. This is a crisis that is much greater than any of us. A problem whose strongest consequences only show itself when it is already too late. But it’s not because we can’t see it that we can’t do something about it. We owe it to the earth, to future generations, and to the other animals and plants that live on this planet. I wish my grandchildren can grow up without immense climate problems, and I am convinced that you also wish that for your grandchildren.

When I dream about my ideal life in a beautiful world at night, I see a world where there is a completely different vision of life. Yet my vision of a good life is not extreme or shocking. I dream about people who know that life is finite and money material. All too often in today’s world I see people who are so concerned with money and success that they forget the world. They no longer see the essential elements of existence. Imagine a busy businessman or woman who works every day from early in the morning until late at night. Money will probably not be a problem for this person, but to what extent do the large doses of stress terrorize his physical and mental health? When will he find time for family, friends and a conscious walk in nature? Looking consciously at the world and nature seems to be a thing of the past in an era in which we work or take lessons indoors and in which technology has gained the upper hand. We wonder about space, but how many people have ever really looked at the earth? These (often neglected) aspects are, in my opinion, necessities that will ultimately contribute to the satisfaction and serenity that few people are given today. The obtained states of mind, in turn, contribute to a more tolerant world with less racism and war.

That there are many things that money cannot provide, I realized with unprecedented purity when I organized activities for the children in a refugee reception center. A child’s smile creates a wave of warmth on which you can surf for a long time afterwards to a feeling of happiness. This dual result, in which two people experience a small but beautiful moment, can be achieved with no money in the world. Success is also not profound enough to illuminate the darkest place in your heart. After you die, people will mainly think back to who you were as a person, the warmth you spread and the support you gave.

Keep in mind that inventing excuses for participating in a culture of unnecessary activities will not help you. Remember that finitude and mortality force us not to waste time on things that don’t matter, that they force us to surrender to what is really important. With the hypothetical depiction of our immense universe in mind, these human qualities and the size of the universe only really come to my mind. When I look at the stars, I see the greatness of everything and I realize that even a pin in a haystack is many times more visible and influential than a human in the universe. That’s why we can only do one thing: live with a loving and big L.

As leading and important people in our society to help normalize this vision, for example through education that focuses more on lessons about life (in our society) instead of just focusing on lessons that focus on performance, more people will dare to change off course, more people will dare to live a truly satisfying life with tolerance as a free incidental that means much more than the word incidental suggests.

This vision can therefore be a guide through the jungle of life, but is not intended as absolute truth. This should above all encourage a society in which each individual can decide for himself what makes his life meaningful and what he likes to do without being left with guilt. Each individual can make and monitor his own balance (for example between performance at work and being together with or committed to others). In this way we can get rid of the ridiculous contradiction between being existentially ignorant, through which ‘obligation’ loses his right to exist, ánd yet be pushed in fixed directions. In this way people can choose freely and create their own values, norms and goals (although basic values must be determined collectively so that people with bad intentions are not given free rein). When people have the freedom to complement their whole of values at will, they will experience an extremely satisfying sense in their pursuits that can be seen as the expression of these values. The core of this beautiful society will then consist of personal meaning with unique creations, satisfaction and solidarity between people and people and nature as a result.