(Counter)force!

Looking back on 2019: reflections on a turbulent year

Do you also realize that the year of the Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements, thus proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations, is already over? The what? Yes, a year that coincided with the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Periodic Table by Dimitri Mendeleev in 1869. This fact alone makes many realize that there is so much that we do not know, while the earth rushes through an infinite Universe.

That earth that seems to spin faster every year, while the great forces of Nature make sure that the same earth just runs its circles at a similar speed as before, which does not, however, prevent us, humans, from all sorts of attempts to accelerate live on that very same globe. More and more, faster and faster, with all friction and firepower as a result. Was that perhaps the reason that the world seemed to be on fire everywhere? It started, very symbolically, on a small scale in the Netherlands on New Year's Eve 2019 with a - how ironic - 'bonfire' on the beach at Scheveningen, where a sea of fire flames threatened to scorch large parts of Scheveningen and led to substantial fire-damage to houses and cars alike. An omen for a fiery year ... From the Amazon forest in Brazil where larger parts than ever went up in flames, partly fueled by the endless demand for soy by a hungry and ever-growing herd of major agricultural exporters such as the Netherlands. Actions have consequences, worldwide. And what do you think of the houses that burned down in California and Australia, which seemed and seem almost irrefutable in summers reaching one temperature record to another. In Europe, the Notre Dame in Paris, of which the first stone was laid in 1163 by Pope Alexander III and Louis VII of France, was on fire. A symbol for unity and greatness of the nation, as well, as it turned out, of vulnerability. Frailty of the tangible symbols of religion and State, Christianity, maybe of our way of life? Make your choice…

As the world fluttered, the island opposite Europe was caught in its own bubble by the infinite continuous game of Brexit yes, no, maybe, no, or just do it. Gamification on a national scale, with international impact. In the end the electorate opted for the simple message “Get Brexit done” from opportunist par excellence Boris Johnson, whose lifelong ambition, to become Prime Minister, at the expense of everything, even principles, was fulfilled. Based on a simple PR starting point by his top campaign team: "pick a line, ignore the facts and repeat". Long live the (imperfection of) democracy, social media and technology.

Speaking of peat fires, there was more going on "on the island across the pound", with the scandal surrounding billionaire Epstein after an interim climax due to his capture and subsequent suicide now reaching the British royal family. An interview with Prince Andrew, instigated by himself, instead of calming things down, led to a blazing fire with all the repercussions linked to it. In all cases their status, power and wealth and sense of being above and beyond the law, detached from all morality appeared to be an illusion. Pride comes before the fall, as was described in the Bible millennia ago. The Dutch Royals suddenly turned out to be infinitely duller, and as always they were mainly in the news when it was about the costs and expenses of the monarchy, a Dutch tradition at its best.

While we were all busy extinguishing fires and navel gazing in the Europe of 28, or is it 27, the past year was dominated by the trade war between China and the United States. With the intended endgame of reaching the number 1 position in the pecking order of the world powers. Arm twisting at the expense or to the benefit of jobs, economic growth and indeed, status. China as a nation-state with a vision and strategy looking decades ahead, apparently willingly playing the game, while increasingly getting used to the Twitter bombardment of an American president who is also unpredictable and fickle for his own people. The blame game, face saving or losing, well, different times, different rules. Trump's impeachment process also played a role in the background.

Counter forces in an all-dominating fight for omnipotence in a political arena dominated mainly by 2 parties. Sharing, on whatever matter, is no longer the goal. No, it is and remains all or nothing. With false reasoning disguised as an argument for both sides.

The well-known consultant and writer of many books, Hermann Simon, pleaded in an interesting interview in the Dutch Financial Times (Financieele Dagblad) for cooperation that ultimately yields more than the right of the strongest. Paraphrasing: in a winner-takes-all environment, far too much is lost, which ultimately does not benefit anyone.

Speaking of winner-takes-all, for the first time since we remember, a period of more than ten years of substantial economic growth seems to have passed by for most people. The average citizen no longer gets his fair share in the universally rising Gross National Product.

The large corporate profits go to a relatively small group of wealthy people. Everyone knows the job-creating power of big tech companies, with Uber drivers, Amazon parcel deliverers and Facebook privacy monitors being the new low-paid jobs of our time. Whoever owns or controls the technology has the money and the power. In the powerful countries, governments are betting on cyber warfare, instead of large physical armies, hackers are the soldiers of this time, in addition to high tech features such as laser weapons and drones. In this context, America even added a new army unit for the first time since 1947, the Space Force. This section, initially with 16,000 employees, marks the Space as the newest theater of war, with American superiority in Space being of vital importance, according to President Trump. We can wait for the response from China, Russia and others. Is this our future?

The small group of big tech founders and shareholders are also the new superpowers of our time. Governments depend on their technology, while at the same time those same governments try to curb their all-embracing power - think about privacy and influencing elections through fake news. Lagging behind, because technology is accelerating so unbelievably exponential and has become too complex due to outdated legislators and regulatory processes and associated systems.

Is it time for a new paradigm shift, a modern system of economy and distribution of wealth, in which everyone is valued on the basis of his or her (necessary) contribution? In which in the near future 20% of the companies will generate 80% of the income, while 80% of the wealth created will benefit only 20% of the people (of which 80% will be the super rich). Then it depends on the goodness of the individual (billionaire) how he or she in turn deals with his or her prosperity. Bill Gates as a shining example, together with his wife, in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With a wonderful mission:

“We seek to unlock the possibility within every individual. We see equal value in all lives. And so we are dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals around the world.” But should this not be the mission of every government, political party and individual, within everyone's possibilities and scope? When Notre Dame was still on fire, several billionaires gathered hundreds of millions within a few days to rebuild this icon. But the increased inequality in the world requires more structural solutions. Valuation of the contribution of each individual, who must also have a decent income to lead a normal life and to be able to continue to make his or her social value-enhancing effort. The haves also need roads, health care, security and housing ...

The worldwide protests didn’t come out of nowhere. The seeping water eventually wears away any resistance. The power of demonstrating was rediscovered or confirmed. In France, the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) led the battle.

Apart from the eternal protest sigh of the French, there seemed to be more going on. How can ordinary citizens with one or two jobs within one household, with one or more children, keep their heads above water? In countries like the Netherlands, a relative oasis in terms of strikes and protests, it appeared the shit hit the fan, with demonstrating farmers, people from the healthcare sector, teachers and even more dissatisfaction from, among others, the under-staffed police force. Especially in the police-, education- and healthcare sectors, in addition to the lack of money and appreciation, there is also an issue that can’t be solved just like that, which was anticipated much too late by senior decision makers, and that is the sharp outflow due to the rapidly acceleration of aging (“it’s the demographics, stupid!”). A mismatch in supply and demand, reinforced by the phenomenon that rolling up one's sleeves is no longer very popular with (a growing part of) the youth, partly blinded by the success stories of popular vlogger, bloggers and YouTube hit wonders, in addition to a part of the underprivileged youth who go for the easy way and the quick money by drug trafficking and related issues. Well, washing buttocks of the elderly and catching criminals for a relatively low wage, not in my back yard, so it seems.

Elsewhere in the world, times were even tougher. The impotence of politics in Argentina, with a possible imminent return to old mega corrupt times, an omen for more economic disaster to come. In Ecuador, riots started as a result of an increase in fuel prices, needed to get an IMF loan. Venezuela did not fall to, but through the abyss. After years of disastrous policy (the poisonous cocktail of corruption and an unhealthy financial economic policy) it came to an eruption of violence, rebellion, hunger and human tragedy. In Chile, fierce demonstrations arose after increasing metro ticket prices and other austerity measures. Counter-force in full swing ...

In all these cases it turns out that there are limits to growth. In the foreseeable future, the countries whose budget deficit and sovereign debt have contracted will again face growing deficits. While structurally more money is needed to fulfill the needs of the "hard working people" left behind in purchasing power. The prediction that the end of Neo-liberalism, or capitalism in itself, is near, is gaining momentum. Who knows what's true? The fact remains that there is a need to have sufficient earning capacity as a society in the longer term, to keep that very same society afloat. Therefore, to embrace the major challenges such as climate issues, the increasingly scarce supply of fresh water (already degenerated into a tradable commodity ), energy transition and so on, as opportunities by stimulating innovations and thus tackling the challenges more quickly and at the same time generating sustainable revenue models for the future.

Against that backdrop, the self-imposed rules can also become people's greatest enemy. Consider the rules for actuarial interest rates for Pension funds, which were drawn long time ago and are becoming increasingly constrained with long-term low interest rates. Take, for example, the significantly increased claim culture – including single issue organizations suing Governments - in nations all over the world in the past year, with more rules leading to more claims.

Who still has the insight and overview in all these connected matters in a coherent way, to be able to make wise decisions that go beyond election periods on the basis of that? From a responsive Government back to pro-active leadership. From a receding government to a government that makes choices in where it wants to take strong and guiding action, where this offers real added value for society as a whole. Thinking fundamentally about where the role of the government ends and that of the market starts and vice versa. And where, albeit often reluctantly, we also saw in the past year that (corporate) business became more active in the social debate. Yes, that gives risks, but also opportunities.

Certainly it will give major opportunities if we combine the power of corporates, the innovative capacity of startups, the intrinsic motivation of the benevolent citizen and the guiding and supervising role of the government to tackle the large-scale themes of our time. Together. Because there is no alternative. From counter-force to cooperating- and connecting force.

In all this, system- or bureaucratic thinking played a large and often flimsy role, as a result of which people cannot separate themselves from the systems and structures in which they operate. Time for looser structures, more flexible systems, that are adaptable to time and technological developments and laws and regulations?

In our desire for more prosperity and well-being, it became abundantly clear more than ever in the past year that we will have to make conscious and concise choices. A part of the challenges can be resolved through prosperity (simply: money) and its distribution and a part by joining forces more together, and not assuming that "the other will solve it."

2019 was also a year in which gaps were created within cooperating systems, such as the EU, that need to be closed because they can cause a fire to break out, not to mention an implosion. For example, there have been considerable strikes in France for some time now, which stand up against raising the retirement age. Note, in a country where the legal retirement age is set at 62, and where, for example, staff of the Paris public transport company (RATP) retires on average by 55.7 years. And that in a country where there is still very limited accrued own pension (more pay-as-you-go than fully funded), so where one is mainly dependent on a retirement pension from the government. Where countries such as the Netherlands, which have built up substantial pension savings (fully funded) ánd have raised the retirement age to over 67 years, are in the same EURO. Summarizing, a system in which, in the event of a continuing aging population (less income, more expenditure), countries with sharply growing debts benefit from long-term low interest rates, and savers do not. A true internal dilemma - one of many - with widely divergent interests within a one-size-fits-all collaboration system.

On the other hand, Germany took major steps in the energy transition last year, that is from coal to gas. While in a country next door, in the Netherlands, gas is increasingly out of the question, with considerably growing "tax fines" on the use of gas in favor of electricity in the coming years. How do we explain this to the EU citizen, who is also a nation-state citizen? Apart from yet another problem that we have created ourselves: an electricity infrastructure that cannot handle the exponential demand for electricity at all and requires a drastic upgrade of the same network. Or are there predictable technological developments that can solve our energy needs differently and with less impact? For example, new forms of nuclear energy, whereby 90% of nuclear waste can be reused. The power of innovation and collective wisdom of the crowd ...

Isn't it time to reach out to each other, literally, from our own bubble across boundaries? Just like political parties from left to right increasingly realize that not all salvation must come primarily from the market nor from the government. Away from the dogmas and, for example, looking at how to use the existing gas infrastructure for new, cleaner alternatives; how to also realize more flexible solutions in this area in order to be able to embrace the accelerating technological developments more easily. It is possible, if we want to.

In this turbulent year, it seemed as if we had also outsourced our climate criticism, in addition to many other societal issues, in this case to a now 16-year-old, who is calling in various stages of emotion that we are going too slowly to improve the climate. Certainly, everything goes too slowly up till a certain point, until that tipping point is reached, then everything accelerates, the ancient laws of nature. Anyway, Greta is a guru for the new phenomenon: the climate truants, skipping school to demonstrate for climate issues. A teenager, magnified by the media, not by content but by form? Or will this revolution also devour its children, literally this time?

Even younger teenagers, feeling themselves strengthened by the cameras aimed at them, demand that they should be able to participate in discussions about the future of their world. Sounds nice and pure. Is that also true? Possibly the result of a generation of princes and princesses, who were already accustomed to their parents kneeling before them to discuss weighty (toddler) affairs with them on the basis of equality. A generation, also, that is guarded by their parents to a great extent against any form of pain and setback. Children's royalty, which seamlessly moved into to the era of quod erat Instagramdum. Or should it come from those who de facto act, who put their shoulders under it, whether or not out of sight of the media? Does everything magnified by a ‘lens sharpened in a factory’ have more value? Reflection and putting things in perspective are required ingredients, while of course appreciating everyone's efforts. In any case, on the positive side, a renewed Europe, under the leadership of a brand-new team, is making a strong commitment to tackle clime issues with its Green Deal. Inspiration from a distant past, the New Deal of the then American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, converted into an action plan for today's challenges.

Is judging each other in interviews, talk shows and on social media the new normal? You are so bad and I am good, or at least less bad. Is the decorum the quintessence? Taking it even further, has what you think become more important than what you actually do? Traveling frequently by private jet, especially to climate conferences. Calling upon people to live a more modest life lowering your footprint, while living a life of opulence yourself, taking your supposedly fair share from this world. Demonstrating in favor of climate protection, purposely getting arrested by the police, at the same time calling mum or dad to subsequently pick you up by car 5 or 10 km away, where you were dropped by the police. Involvement, making sacrifices, for real!?

The past year showed that for many there is actually a will to change including taking action. Because we, as consumers and citizens, also want less plastic in the environment and cleaner air, more and more governments and companies are banning 'single use plastic'. Royal Dutch Shell is one of the front runners in the transition to hydrogen energy. Unilever has taken further steps to significantly reduce its ecological footprint. An increasing number of people buy electric cars (e.g. the number of electric cars in the Netherlands has increased tenfold within 5 years).

The healthy lifestyle trend also proved to be persistent, with less meat taking the spotlight. Even McDonald's, symbol for the mass-produced hamburger and KFC, ditto for the chicken, introduced vegetarian alternatives because the consumer demands it. Benefiting a healthier lifestyle, in addition to environmental reasons. The 0.0 drinks trend, after the earlier breakthrough of non-alcoholic beer, continues steadily with other drinks. From zero alcohol GTs to zero tolerance wines - the Divine drink, without the state of enlightenment climax in the head after consumption. How do we look back on "alcohol is fun and a normal part of life" in 2030?

For the cynics in the belief of progress and change - man is intrinsically not good and will never be - the change in the conservative institution (Catholic) Church may be an example. Due to a lack of priests in the Amazon forest, the Vatican opened the door to ordain married people as priests. In the Netherlands this was picked up in the Night Christmas Mass, in various cities, by saying from the pulpit that it is good to no longer elevate the celibate priesthood above married love, thereby claiming equal dedication to God for both variants. A revolution!

Under pressure everything becomes fluid. Climate, irreconcilable political differences, non-alcoholic drinks, meat substitutes. Everything is possible. That was proved before. In Germany. In 1989 an unexpected reunification between East and West took place. After which a solidarity deal (Solidarpakt) was established, whereby the Western part of Germany paid extra tax for the reconstruction of the Eastern part. Solidarity imposed, but faithfully paid, for the last time in 2019. 30 years. How leadership with a vision and perseverance integrated a bankrupt country and united it into a powerful nation.

Political correctness continued. Increasingly there was a (sometimes) forced awareness re various hot items, while the nature of people is to belong to their own and trusted group. With this primordial fact, it is precisely important to emphasize the similarities, but the emphasis was and is mainly on the differences; unfortunately mostly by those who also benefit, because of their own private agenda (status, money or power). The large masses, including those of the 'own group', are often more nuanced. The more you accuse those of ‘the other groups’ of being racist or to exclude your group, with emphasis on differences, the less people get together. Also in 2019 words had to be adjusted, such as slaves became those who were made slave, and immigrants transformed into bi-cultural. Where, as previously shown with word adaptations, it is the people who provide the (future) connotation, not the words. Change is certainly good, but intrinsic consideration of content versus politically correct form is and remains recommended. Although there is not one truth, there is the - often missed - nuance.

Was it in this entire global imbalance, with a positive note here and there, the logical time for the definitive breakthrough of the female force of nature, the restoring balance of the primordial mother earth? A year in which, among others, 3 prominent female politicians in America competed as an all-female counter-force against the "male brute force Trump". Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. Remember those names. A year in which a spacewalk exclusively for women took place for the first time, thanks to Christina Koch and Jessica Meir.

Was #metoo the definitive prelude to diversity, inclusiveness and especially to #weareheretostayasequals? With globally appealing examples, such as in India where Sub-lieutenant Shivangi became the first woman pilot for the Indian Navy in 2019, and Austria got its 1st female Chancellor, the European Commission a first female president and in Finland even the 5 large parties all had a woman in charge, including a 34-year-old (!) Female prime minister.

Last year again showed a world of extremes. 2019 was an exceptionally good stock market year, with a limited group of the haves adding a generous amount to their already substantial capital. In Switzerland there were 50-year government bonds with a negative interest rate. Larger chunks than ever broke off from ice glaciers, with all the future consequences for rising water levels in the world. While IS found its Waterloo in this past year, it is still unstable in Syria and surrounding areas, with new allies creating a different dynamic, and the relative calm unfortunately is only just on the surface, and the (sometimes armed) peace is benefiting mainly the weapon manufacturers.

In the same spectrum, Europe celebrated its 75 years of liberation from the Nazis. War and peace, freedom and oppression, celebrating, commemorating. That what is over for one part of the world is the hard current reality for the other.

The past year also showed an apparent battle between Boomers and Millennials. The (Baby)Boomer stands for the conservative person who has benefited from everything and the Millennial represents the socially involved, environmentally nurturing, innovative and somewhat carefree citizen. The Boomer, who has fought and struggled for all his current achievements, versus the lucky – or is it lazy - dogs of the Millennial generation. Upon closer investigation, the archetype appears not to exist really, but here too, emphasizing the differences proved to be more beneficial to a number of groups, not least to the target group-serving marketeers. Long live the (artificial) gap. It also turns out that a handshake across generations is needed here to tackle the major global challenges together. There are more shared than opposing interests.

The year of the counter-force was further accentuated after President Erdogan of Turkey, the man who is omnipotent in his country, lost considerably in local elections in both the capital Ankara and in his political hometown of Istanbul. For Vladimir Putin, who has been in power in Russia for ages, also last year brought him a major loss in the Moscow municipal elections. A loss in the capital, yet again a symbol of the advancing counter-force or the crumbling powers that be.

Further down the road, in China, President Xi Jinping, who now has the option to remain in power for life, noticed in the relatively free part of China, Hong Kong, that there are opposing forces who fear what will come after Hong Kong has the same regime as mainland China, planned 50 years after the 'handover', so in 2047. For Chinese people, certainly the policy makers, not really a very long time from now.

Emperor Naruhito was inaugurated as the new emperor of Japan. With his inauguration a new era has arrived, the Reiwa era, which stands for Beautiful Harmony, a nice ambition ánd necessity in a troubled world.

Harmony that is also needed to achieve great deeds and breakthroughs in collaboration, for example in science. In 2019 this resulted, among other things, in the revolutionary first photo of a black hole and a first photo of the dark (back) side of the Moon. Science literally exceeded borders as never before, with an unmanned space probe New Horizons, which passed the asteroid Ultima Thule, the furthest through a "fly-by" investigated celestial body ever.

A breakthrough, but then on earth, was achieved by Google, claiming that it has achieved quantum supremacy. Simply put, a quantum processor from Google has done a calculation in more than 3 minutes that a Summit supercomputer would take ten thousand years to do. The question arises whether this is something to celebrate or whether it evokes a fear image of forces that we can no longer control?

In medical science, there was a breakthrough in the fight against genetic, hereditary diseases such as Alzheimer's, alcoholism, ADHD and autism. In addition, there were promising results for a prostate cancer drug and a tuberculosis vaccine for adults. All thanks to top-class teamwork. Harmony in full swing.

In the past year there was also talk of the further rise of psychiatrists as the superstars of our time. Thanks to the crisis of meaning of life, with a retreating Church, in addition to the Government-at-armth’s-length, and a condition humaine to have sorrow and unrest and so on, these psychiatrists are the clarifiers and guides for this new age. Accepting suffering, where we have gone from self-optimization to self-acceptance, including the Mindfulness and the Yoga mats. The over-accelerated working man seeking tranquility and peace-of-mind. Because of technology, we are increasingly out of balance, and we consciously or unconsciously feel the need to return to the human dimension. The human 1 on 1 contact, between parent and child - not looking at the mobile screen and simultaneously talking with the baby and toddler -, with friends in the pub, while especially making choices yourself, without the intervention of technology; ask not Google, but ask yourself what you can do.

A thousand-years-old Maya Palace was also discovered. Something that already existed for a millennium, and after being overgrown by the passing of time and the proliferation of nature, only had to be rediscovered. Simply by looking very closely and working together harmoniously. Just like the solutions that nature around us has already come up with and by studying them well, will lead to solutions in (medical) science. It turned out, for example, that there is an ant species that, thanks to millions of years of cultivation, offers a possible remedy for antibiotic resistance to humans. Just like that, the solution in and by nature, only by observing carefully.

The (imaginative) power of the arts was visible everywhere. Anytime, anywhere, the common thread of the arts, which is omnipresent and explains and questions the Zeitgeist, at the same time appealing to our conscience, demonstrating the inconvenient truth and the flaws of our people and society as a whole and, above all, causing us to treasure and savor beauty, content and entertainment.

A must-have in a world in which many programmers from any big-tech company no longer even have an overview of which larger agenda they are contributing to. The arts, among other things, can place the larger plan, our lives, in this entourage of modernity, in perspective and help us to reflect.

Some random examples from the past year. A phenomenal acting performance (solo!) by the world-famous actress Isabelle Huppert, who not only played Mary Queen of Scots, but actually was the Queen of Scots in various European theaters. On September 6, one of the great living conductors of our time, Bernard Haitink, conducted his last concert in Luzern, Switzerland. Magic in optima forma. In addition, the youth was advancing, not only in pop music but also, for example, through a Noa Wildschut, who, at the age of 18 in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, showed how deeply felt emotions sound on a violin, together with the Dutch Youth Orchestra. In addition in 2019 countless in-depth, mesmerizing and thought-provoking novels were released from An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, to To Calais, In Ordinary Time by James Meek. Back in time we went through the discovery of 44,000-year-old rock art, in caves in Indonesia, which showed both animal and human figures together. At a time when there was no reading yet, this was the pinnacle of human, artistic ingenuity.

All of this took place accompanied by the 2019 soundtrack, including Old Town Road by Lil Nas X and the very dark Bad Guy by Billie Eilish. Quite different from Queen, Adele, Madonna or Michael Jackson. Very curious how the thirty- and forty something generations of the future will look back on this music from their youth.

That art has its place not only in a traditional setting of a museum, gallery or home on the wall, so twentieth century, showed a growing number of hospitals in the world, who increasingly recognize that art can literally heal, from boring and sterile to walls with art. Earlier research had already shown that wall art not only gave patients a better feeling, but also actually had an impact on health, which meant that they had to stay in hospital for shorter periods and had better pain tolerance. Talking about crossing borders… In addition, it may also be an example of how to deal with reducing medical costs and holistic views of healing in a different way. Art and all of its benefits…

If in addition we expand the arts with the soothing power of nature, and especially the connection between city and countryside, where the countryside provides food for the body as well as for the mind - the inner peace and fresh air - and the city dwellers also continue to care about nature - and their residents - in and outside the city. Thought provoking…

Looking back on a full year, many again literally said goodbye to the year and the planet, leaving a lasting impression in our minds. From a Karl Lagerfeld, fashion designer and icon to a Niki Lauda who made many boys' and men's hearts beat faster back in his time as Formula 1 World Champion. Doris Day, an American TV and film icon, who welcomed the world for 97 years with her presence, which was a lot shorter for film actor Rutger Hauer, who played legendary scenes in films such as Blade Runner. In addition the world said goodbye to Peter Fonda, who will be forever linked to the film classic Easy Rider, Chinese US architect Pei, who is famous for the Pyramid at the Louvre, along with another French (political) icon, former President Jacques Chirac.

We also lost several (former) business tycoons such as Ross Perot, David Koch and Ferdinand Pi?ch, the one-time Chief of the Volkswagen group, in addition to top conductor Mariss Jansons, who lead the world renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, among other Orchestra’s, for many years. Even Zimbabwe's eternal leader, Robert Mugabe, who found his political counter-force a few years ago and had to resign, found his final counter-force, death, in the past year. This also applied to the once very influential former Prime Minister of China, Li Peng.

We did not yet hear a lot from the newly born life in this previous year, although they have the special honor of being born in the last year of a decade. Whether a future Einstein, Gates, Larry Page, Angela Merkel or Simone de Beauvoir is among them we will experience in a few decades or later. In any case, they can learn life lessons from all that preceded them, such as conductor Edo de Waard, whose career spent over 50 years, bringing him all over the world, and who concluded in a nice interview last year: we have to complain less and appreciate more, and yes, his experience was that the grass elsewhere was certainly not greener. Wise words from a life-expert.

Summarizing, a year in which many trends continued, with the deeply rooted need for the human dimension at the forefront. Too large, too powerful, too much, gives way to less, more qualitative, healthier, by working together across unknown boundaries. From dogma and reason to sensing and heart. On the way to more orphaned mobile phones, exemplifying the latent desire for more personal, 1-on-1 contact.

Is in the end the artwork of Maurizio Cattelan, called Comedian - you know, that banana attached to the wall with duct tape, which sold for USD 120,000 - the ultimate representative of the past year? The icon of imagination how we humans look not only at art, but first and foremost at ourselves, giving value to a concept, with all the associated interaction of demonstrating janitors with a glued up banana, a symbol of wealth versus their underpaid jobs, in short, the unequal distribution of wealth in the world. The year of the banana, banal or spot-on?

Looking ahead, Blake Leeper inspires us, the legless man, who considers that what's missing (in the eyes of others) is not an issue at all for him. He was born that way and looks at what he can do, on blades,  that make him faster than many non-disabled athletes. A man whose motto we can all embrace: "Be the best person You can be," as he mentioned in his sparkling and energetic speech at the ever-inspiring Veerstichting symposium in the past year.

Yet again a lot happened in the world, of which we often grasp the actual importance and relevance much later, and everyone can contribute to it, from personal experience and strength, whereby your own imagination goes hand in hand with perseverance, with an eye for people around you, where You can make a difference. From a past decade on the way to the new Twenties, which could be roaring again, full of possibilities to make the world a little better step by step. The Earthshot Prize, announced by UK Prince William and Princess Kate on the last day of the year & decade, may be a shining example of all the magnificence still to come.

Because it is only in the future that the grandeur of the past is captured, which we continue to shape every day, on our way to a tipping point, that when we finally reach it, unexpectedly, what seemed to go too slow, suddenly goes faster than ever before.

From counter-force to a cooperating-, solution-oriented and connecting force. Harmony in optima forma. Based on this hope and expectation, I wish you a sparkling new year, full of mutual concern, surrounded by your loved ones, with a kind mind and above all with the ambition to be less opinionated and judgmental and to act more. For the benefit of and together with each other. In good health.

Cheers!