What the top 1% can learn from the Dutch
Once me and an American visited the Dutch country side. Suddenly his mouth falls open. I look around to see what he’s so astounded by, but can’t see it, until he points it out. Almost above our heads a sea ship sails by. We’re in a polder about four meters below see level, and the boat passes us on sea level. Only then I realize how normal this reality has become to me. Daily thousands of workers are keeping our the Netherlands safe from the seas, and aside from imminent threats they keep our feet dry. This has shaped our mindset quite a lot. And it brought a wisdom the 1% seem to be lacking.
The legacy of Floris V, count of Holland
In the Middle Ages much of Holland (the Western part of the Netherlands) was a swamp. Then, to develop the country for the growing population, the Dutch started to build dykes and, not long after, windmills to create new dry land within the dykes. The dykes were also essential as safe guard from dangers outside, as the sea had free play and flood regularly happened. Even then the draining could result in creating land a little below sea level. Which made it a precarious place to live and or grow your livelihood.
Around 1271 Count Floris V of Holland started a process that was unheard of in that time. It was for his kind of thinking, which meant including the interests of the common people, that he won the nickname ‘The Peoples God’. It may also have been the first rebirth of democracy in the West, since Athens. He decided to have the people vote on who would be the Dyke Count, or sherif of the dykes. This Dyke Count (Dijkgraaf) would have control over guarding the dykes and could order people to improve or do works to prevent breakdowns from happening. Floris V understood that to keep everyone safe, he should not enforce control over the guarding of the dykes. That made perfect sense. If a dyke would break, everyone, rich and poor would drown. Enforcing would lead to resistance and at worst even sabotage or negligence. With this kind of danger, people should feel they were in it together. They were in fact, and until this day, the Dutch are, now more than ever before.
Out of the office of Dyke Counts a complex democracy evolved where the people still vote who will run the water control boards. Here the voting is not about power or ism. You really vote for who will best protect you. It also became the basis of the Dutch consensus culture. However we disagree, we must together safeguard all of us from drowning, let alone lose our land to the sea. This willingness to make it work together lay also at the basis of the huge economic boom that lead the the Dutch Golden Age. Consider that the Dutch Golden Age happened during a war with Spain and at times other huge powers, while keeping our feet dry, while inventing the first global corporation and the stock exchange. The ideas at the core of that rise, may lay a new foundation for global politics in the face of our current threats.
How the 1% wins when everyone wins.
Currently in the US believing in Global Warming seems to be a political world view. Taking care of it seems to threaten financial interests. Even with over 90% of all experts on the matter pointing out that the increasing warmth and all it’s side effects is real, they deny the facts, as if this danger was a matter op opinion. Let’s look closer at what the 1% can learn from the Dutch. What profits are attainable when we consider what it means when everyones life is threatened by nature, like the Dutch living below sea level?
- First and foremost insight is that when our society collapses through the disruption of global warming and ecological disasters bringing about war and hunger, diseases and massive displacements, no place on our planet will be safe. We are going towards a future where we only win, when everyone wins. In the Ebola crisis we have seen how one little deviance can put the whole world at risk. The increasing interconnectedness of all our systems, also based on global distribution and local mono cultures make the risks much higher. Everyone, including the 1% is in danger when governments forget their essential task, and only keep protecting the 1%’s interests. Governments forgetting their service to the people may also endanger all essential services, from health care to protection against crime and world saving projects that need central organization to succeed. Finally violent revolutions happen when people lose all hope that their government is there for the general interests.
- Including everyone in realizing the solution will be much more powerful than a solution based on the interests of a powerful few. Plans made by a few work like big building projects. A huge tower arises, but any mistake made within of forgotten aspect, may bring down to whole. Ideas work best when organized in a swarm, much like how bees cluster efforts for certain locations with flowers full of honey. The kind of capitalism where many organizations freely innovate, and not few dominant ones rule a market, has the same diversity in solutions and filling in all the gaps needed. Nature is the same. It’s a billions year old system is so intricately fine tuned that no human can comprehend it all. Check out this new finding: Take this for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M18HxXve3CM So there’s huge dangers dangers of side effects when implementing massive end of pipe solutions in order to prevent further damage, but not addressing the causes. The world will become like a human on dozens of medications, while maintaining to smoke, drink and eat fast food. The well being of nature, and allowing it space to self heal will be so much more important than any profit mentionable. To think otherwise will be worse than war crimes.
- The incredible investment possibilities in a total overhaul of the whole corporate world towards green and sustainable, is a too good opportunity to miss. The profits, global safety and growth possibilities will be enduring. The amount of innovative new technologies needed is astounding. There are whole treasures lost in the amount all waste that pollutes, but actually could have been, and often is already becoming new resources. Consider the money lost on protecting the oil industry, on marketing, advertising, buying politicians and running a dead end show. Compare that to the lasting future that can be gained from turning an oil into an energy company, developing the best possible everlasting solutions for a globally increasing need for energy. The long term profits are astounding. The anxiety to lose a few corporate dinosaurs on a rampage over the profit and goodwill gained for choosing to go fully green should be a no brainer. Elon Musk bathes in it.
- True wealth is not only financial, not even for the richest of all. There is a huge wealth in being able to travel to all countries, have enough food and water everywhere. Enter huge forests, whether they have been replanted or saved. The soul starts to dance knowing there’s tigers, polar bears and whales in this world. Some voices consider traveling to new planets, yet everyone who’s ever been in a rain forest next to a beach, where breathing is secured, waves bring calm and the sun brings joy, knows that all man created environments are fraught with dangers and limitations. Not having to worry if your kids get kidnapped, or killed or even have a future is a treasure above all. Because especially families who have been rich and powerful for generations, should consider having a future as the biggest prize.
Advice on steps to take:
Of course many steps needed to be made to make it possible. Here’s some tips for that:
Let the news bring the truth
A huge obstacle for change are the laws that actually allow the US news media to lie. (wtf!?) Because of these laws propaganda and opinion dominate the news over the facts; facts that have been framed or even falsified. Thus most people, even among the 1%, have no understanding of what really is going on any more. Lack of truth means lack of insights. Consider yourself living beneath a dyke and all news that speaks about the need for repair is repressed. How stupid can you be? With the growing dangers to our global ecology the situation is way worse than shown in this election driven protest about the role of the media: https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/vb.407570359384477/721962624611914/?type=2&theater Insure laws that forbid the media to lie. Enforce laws that make the media present facts that matter for the whole.
Improve the money system
The money system is rigged and out of balance in a increasingly damaging way. I know, you, the 1%, seem to reap the benefits. But while the ‘machines’ bringing in the money run faster and faster, the whole model is like a giant on clay feet. And the bottom is eroding. The erosion driven by profit maximization is slowly destroying all it claims to uphold. Thus it’s time to change the game. You could change the rules or really give and give more. Why? Because the trickling down method is totally failing. Because money is like rain. The rivers bring all rain back to the sea. And don’t worry, poor people spend, and the money will flow up again. But if it never rains anymore, the people will find different solutions. They’ll start bringing it in from the oceans and surpass trusting on rain clouds all together. Everywhere new banking and money systems are experimented with, because the trust is gone. And at some points, as in the previous point, reality will overtake the propaganda with which the ‘old game’ is defended.
Go from defender to front runner.
How did Christianity and Islam conquer the world? A few leaders saw the power of it’s message, because the message felt to true to the masses. Both the Christian and Islamic faith swept their part of the world when the new idea was fully embraced by a decisive number. And when did the Catholic church lose much of it’s power? When corruption and arrogance got rampant and new ideas were repressed with violence. When a new longing lives among the masses and a dictator defends his power, he is bound to lose. Whether through a blood revolution, or a painful slow process of giving in and giving in. Even those that do stay in power suffer paranoia, fear and must work very very hard to keep what they have, while danger lurks at every corner. That is truly a poor life. The other option is to become another Elon Musk. Boom. Be one of the heralds of the new religion of a flourishing planet. Have millions praise and defend you because it feels and is true. You chose the better path and recognized a balanced nature and human kind is very possible. All ideas and almost all technologies needed exist. They only need staunch supporters and investors who bring hope, green growth and the feeling Bernie brings/brought in the 2016 election: this is where it’s happening. Wouldn’t you just love being in the middle of that?
Embrace the Dutch awareness: We’re all in this together.
A more modern way to say this is like this: ‘Earth is a space ship and we’re all crew.’ Being very clear about our real condition and that we all need to protect the balance with realistic eyes to the situation is very logical to the Dutch. The pressure it’s government currently endures by international corporations to forego on that, is maddening to the (sub)conscious of it’s people. Understand that the 1% must make the move from: “If the people don’t have bread to eat, then why don’t they eat cake?” towards “True wealth is the whole flourishing.” You don’t need to be afraid of that change. Being the smartest at earning the most is not a skill you lose in new conditions. Being alive together with all of us, if you don’t, might be a whole different matter. To end with that warning spoken as a prophesy:
“(Canada,) the most affluent of countries, operate(s) on a depletion economy which leaves destruction in its wake. Your people are driven by a terrible sense of deficiency. When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.” Most likely credited by Alanis Obomsawin
Or spoken as a modern wisdom:
Love nature and nature will love you back.
Love the people and people will love you back.
Love your own power and others will resent you for it.
Love your money and all the rest fades away.
It is loving that which is other, that has the most true return on investment.
Happy investing!
