Our whole policy now seems to be determined by one question: what does it cost? Whether it is the unity of Europe is, about the education or care about, everything is increasingly determined by the "what does it cost" question. A recent example is the pension scheme, which leads to a fragmentation of the unit and loss of control of the union because the problem is how much it costs.
An answer to the question of what work will cost, is never fully monetised. The pension money demand is a unilateral demand of the gay economicus with a one-sided materialistic man. But man is more than matter, more than substance. We as humans are also spiritual beings who are our spiritual wealth in the physical world to bring growth and expression. Ultimately, everything we create a product of our mind and not merely an economic result. This creative process is never entirely by a computer or machine to take over.
The pension is not in all cultures, in all occupations and at all times an obvious concept. Even now there are professions in the Netherlands where one can enjoy working there as long as one likes. As long as the spirit inspires and moves people. The old philosophy teaches that everything that exists in the making, and in motion continues to reinvent itself to maintain. A machine is not spinning rust. Stagnant water pollution. Someone who is not a time to learn to walk again and who for a long time not working must again learn to work.
Work is part of life. I see people living their retirement years often lose their vitality and I also see people who just enjoy their retirement to start something new. What is the retirement age of parenthood, the great parenting? When parents go to retire and what will it cost?
The discussions about retiring from the unilateral demand all costs instead of what is the meaning of work. The economic approach ignores the fact that working life to hear. Life can enrich us, if you enjoy it. Those who enjoy working feel rich, even though it is hard physical work.
The awareness of your physicality is also a spiritual experience. Therefore, as heavy work as a spiritual enrichment are also the physical effort of sport can enrich us. It is not just about cost, but mainly to meaning, to job satisfaction. Even with a poor body can anyone still useful and fun work.
| Sincerely, Paul de Blot Professor of Business Spirituality Nyenrode Business Universiteit |  |
 print this column |  email this column |
Dear Paul,
Thank you for this fine column. Recently I follow you and I become more and more 'begeistert' by your wits. Despite respectable age you are you still with your clear vision in life and you definitely become an example for me. For example, it may therefore also.
In your column you bring the narrowness of the 'what does it cost "question raised.
Very recognizable but this statement is not really apply to our lives?
People are always looking for guidance and if you know what something costs, you can make the issue and if necessary give a place close.
Unfortunately, too often dominate our rationale for this behavior and our feelings are usually ignored.
How nice would it be if we would be more aware of this. That we value our opinion, less of it would leave us hanging and feeling more space would allow.
Thanks Paul de Blot, I hope for a long time you can / should enjoy.
Dear Paul,
Weather totally agree. After long and hard work in a job now elected for a period of contemplation and reflection. And I know now though that there will be a meaningful use of my energy comes, but at this moment I do not know what. Exciting for me to like this even better behind my true nature to be on alert and patient and listening to my inner voice to know how to proceed. It strikes me that your subjects often reflect that I was just at that moment itself busy.
Once again, thanks and warm regards,
Ad de Regt
Dear Paul,
It is always a source of further thought about things after reading your column.
The answer to the question: What does it cost?
Is my idea: An investment, not only in monetary terms but also in development and knowledge. What is the investment worth to you?!
What I unfortunately brand in many companies, there is little scope for development, personal development and training. These investments are not always visible in the short term but in the long term is indeed valuable.
And yes, not all valuable things / matters can be translated into money.
Fortunately.
Christa A. Sinay
Thank you for your inspiring columns. I like to read them.
Working or rather should hear as long as man exists in life. The wisest among humanity, the humanity throughout his life. It is the basis of their existence. As Adi Da Samraj says: I'm here to serve my devotees. "This should not serving from the ego: Give to get back, but give because you have plenty of. Unconditional love is energy transfer. As we approach December 27, 2012, multiple souls among mankind will see this as the basis of their existence. It's great to have a Jedi to be and all beings to serve in the opening of their hearts. That everyone be freed by his peers to serve.
Dear Paul,
I very much agree with you that the question of what the total cost is not adequate to create a good pension scheme which does justice to everyone.
I am sure for ourselves as a society the higher question: what is the meaning of work for me, for us? And depending on the answers that we ensure that we get personal answers can live in a dignified manner.
The politics would be able to keep busy by asking these questions and listening to the answers and thus make viable.
The same applies to education, healthcare, government. It may be smarter, easier, more diverse, humane and loving.
Thank you for your clear column.
Marianne van den Assem
Dear Paul.
I read your pieces regularly as an entrepreneur and am even inspired by hit.
How:
Your philosophy of "spiritual and conscious life" I now omgwerkt a new concept: "Psychic income" and you can see on my website (www.dickensmuseum.nl) that attracted the attention of the onlamgs EO.Ik am Christian with welnemen.Ze you send out that vision in the EO on October 25th at twenty past eight in the "Faith and a lot of love." You see, your emails are so effective, they lead to something. "I also hope that that beginning in that direction Occupybeweging Europa.Dus construktief thinking how we can begin to feel better and then there are some dinven happen and that is MY site with my konsumentenkamer, founded just after I've desertatie.Ik 250,000 signatures of supporters here in my office! (see "Konsumentenkamer" on Google, in a kind uccupy SMALL! and I want ot else because I'm almost 81.
Our concept of "psychic income" refers to "free consumption" through "DELIBERATE! sensory perception of reality, so the magnificent creation which we may temporarily zijn.Dus enjoy the natuur.KOST nothing to use your words and you feel much better! Dickens philosophy! Next year 2012 is the Year Dickens, (bicentanery) because he was in 1812 geboren.Wij go there to play a big role in next year! e
Because "knowledge and know" a cumulative kruisbestuivng (we know nothing without "the other"), it might be fun for you to know that another man of Nyenrode in 1976 helped me with these thoughts in a proefshrift to convert at the KUB for the whole maatschappij.Dus that is about the role of well-being and prosperity in this. ("The Social Value of the Company).
That man was Otto van Veen and drs who works with you as a teacher, he is my brother ..
Go ahead and read and we really learn from you!
Dr. Sjef de Jong
Dear Paul
I am so glad that this is said! I myself am already 18 years in the WAO. I get money because I at least at the wrong time in the disability ended. Often I have to weniig to live. But I'm happy. I have MS and my body is bothering self addressed, I have my back problems taken care of with an ortho hand doctor and myself worked on simultaneously. My children, I piloted through puberty myself by learning how to sit together and tegelijkertiujd I have always been busy working on educational or even more for renewal of the man himself to conscious living and learning from the inside. The books of yours Paul substantiate what I do and maybe I still promoted even though on my time and my conditions when the time is ripe. In recent years I can better myself because I baste foreign students in my home child care, housing and give them help where needed. I do so because that is my real needs. I am happy with what little there is and I am really very "rich". My two sons by jumping in to help me when needed with money and food. My grandsons of 5 and 6 years shone when she accidentally heard about at the table. Neighbors and family friends jump disinterested in when needed and I do also to them. They change also.
I live just an innovative life on benefits and see the benefit if a little love of the Dutch people to me. I like me without any time pressure is to devote myself where I feel that it makes sense.
I've done during my studies in psychology, has been given studentenasssistent for half days for money so I could study. Worked often with fun all day and have just learned so much in psychology. Books to learn I found less interesting. Life brought all the insights to me during my study. It also taught me that too much knowledge should be acquired anywhere nothing is done and in fact is a muchness. Practical relevance in my time was not so important, but the mechanical completion of multiply choice.
Now I stop otherwise it too much!
Thank you Paul for your columm, I read with much pleasure.
One Heart Greeting
Martha Reijnders
Thank you Paul for this fundamental reflection on the meaning of life and sense doing. Often work experience but not as useful as a liability because we have made dependent of an economic system in which the connection between work and its meaning is made impersonal. Each person is unique with its own talents in a meaningful manner that they can use independently. It can make many choices so that any sense of personal commitment not need to be distinguished from work. Work satisfaction is achieved only if people can enjoy the fruits, whether in the form of a healthy meal, a safe house, admiring the growing children or recognition of a community. This is often not expressed in money. Retirement is not only the enormous pleasure in the challenge of life. It was you in your previous blog show through even from your sick bed in hospital, a party of it together.
So I sat yesterday with an African entrepreneur. He told me about his fear of entrepreneurship in the Netherlands because he was not sure if he every month to meet its financial obligations could. The conflict between the meaning of its intended activities (helping African families behind to work stable) and the fear of sufficient funds to earn his own livelihood made him extremely uncertain. The conversation turned to his African father in the village in Africa is also an entrepreneur. It will work differently. Despite the training of orthopedic his father was especially talented in the chase of dangerous wild felines from the environment. He was in the village greatly appreciated by his unparalleled talent and courage, so that the village compensated him with food and shelter as he made sure that feral cats were remote. When the father was older this continued respect and recognition of the wisdom which he also began contributing to the youth.
We came together in the heartwarming conclusion that perhaps the Dutch entrepreneurial culture and society what really could learn from the Africans and we went there together in turn.
Dear Paul,
That's right, thanks for the nice column,
I wish everyone a nice weekend.
Greetings Gretha.
Best Paul
Thank you very much for the always inspiring words that touch us deeply in 't Hart. This kind words fell on me the next writing. This was presented at the Dam in Amsterdam 99% during the meetings this weekend. I read a lot of us back in what you try to transfer.
Heart Regards,
Koos
The Goal of The Crisis is to discover what unites us
We are in a 'global crisis'. While the problems are increasingly spreading across the world, they also penetrate deep into our own lives and our future more and more faded. The collapsing economy, the exhausting domestic political games, which over the world unrest spread, the ongoing terrorism and the senseless long wars, all this requires our focused attention, allowing ourselves to investigate, in order to get to understand what happens to us and how we can survive in the new world that is visible.
We are 'global', not only in financial terms but also socially and emotionally. We influence each other so intensely that we in one country after another social cause fires, which move from one hotspot to the next move through the fibers and makes the World Wide Web is interconnected.
We can not continue our lives with a false sense of security by protecting ourselves with an armor of indifference. We must recognize the changes and react accordingly. In the words of Joseph Stiglitz:
"The economic crisis provides us a unique opportunity to invest in change." We must face facts. The new reality instructs us that we declare our interdependence.
Significant problems can not be solved at the same level of thinking as the level at which they were created by us. "(A. Einstein)
The economy is a reflection of our interconnection. If we try to get the economy back to health, without finding the way in which we interact, we will not succeed.
We must investigate the cause of the crisis and tackle the real problem: the selfish, bitter, egocentric interests that prevail in our society and our economy to be reflected.
The main motivation behind the current economy is simply: personal gain above all else. But we today are so interdependent that personal gain is not working. It is time to create an economic model, which is about acceptable consumption and relationships, which we feel responsible for one another.
The one percent blame is understandable and a natural reaction, but let the real culprit charge, if we want to bring about effective change: the selfish attitude and interests that have brought us to where we are today.
Redistributing wealth without moral consciousness of the whole, will not yield positive results. The bitter experiences of the communist revolutions in the last century have given us plenty of warning that this is not the right thing.
Instead, human connection and a shared, sincere effort for a common goal, the means to our future stability and prosperity to reach.
Our success is determined by whether we call the "globalization of anger," as Thomas Friedman puts it, may change in the globalization of care for everyone and everything.
Every desire, every deed and thought devoted to the comprehensive system of humanity, will balance, peace and prosperity to the individual and to the whole.
We must build a new system and a new UNITED society based on the principle of mutual responsibility that:
1. Ensures that everyone is provided with basic needs, including food, housing, health and education.
2. Creates an environment that promotes responsibility for each other.
3. Taking into account the natural resources of our planet.
The solution consists of the fact that we shift our attention from ego-involvement to social involvement. In other words, the welfare of society as a whole see as important, because it is the only way to ensure the welfare of the individual guarantee.
"Your actions, the actions and feelings of others around you influence what happened then can spread to others and then to others. Life is better because of our mutual relations. "
(Nickholas Christakis, author of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How It Shapes Our Lives).
Therefore, mutual responsibility, not some noble aim, which we may or may not free to choose. It is vital and we must then act in accordance.
It is necessary that we use the means that we have available to socially oriented media to develop that mutual responsibility and mutual account of each other and help us promote awareness of our interdependence. As the social networks formed through, OWS which the movement occurred, the media can be used to the new, socially oriented attitude to create.
Traditional media will follow, just as it went with the OWS Movement. If, as Christakis says, "Life is better because of our mutual relations," let us therefore recover. This will then restore the economy, which in turn will restore the great social differences, which then countless other problems in our society will be repaired.
"We are all in the same boat, says Nobel Laureate of Economics Paul Krugman. The boat succumbs by our inequality. Let us not be distinguished from each other, let us against ourselves and our friends say it is vital that we all of our basic necessities, that my happiness depends on your luck and vice versa and that we only in consultation with each other as equals, which are interconnected, a viable solution will be achieved.
Facebook: Together for Unity
Ari Institute: http://ariresearch.org/
Thank you for your great column! you gives me a big smile on this already super bright sunny morning! At the pleasure to live!
Hart Salute, Marjan de Haan