We have increasingly ended up in a rat race society.

That is the diagnosis I made last Friday, on the day

of labor, in my Spiekman Lecture at the Pelgrimvaderskerk in

Rotterdam.

In our society, it's increasingly about performing, and

optimizing, while at the same time we increasingly receive the message that we are on our own

and that success is a choice. People work even harder to be able to afford a

house or childcare. Meanwhile, they must fear bad luck on the road,

because the social safety net for illness or unemployment is increasingly being

dismantled. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, there is increasingly less time for caring for

parents, children, or loved ones.

It is not surprising that in this stress society, more and more people drop out with burn-out symptoms, that the number of mental coaches and mindfulness trainers is increasing, and that one in seven children is now dependent on youth care. The Netherlands now has more coaches and therapists than primary school teachers. It shows that we increasingly try to solve collective problems, such as ever-higher costs for basic provisions, a lack of housing, and major shortages in education and healthcare, individually. Because everyone has to fight for themselves, we get the feeling that we are in competition with each other. If success is a choice, then failure is also your own fault. You should have worked harder. The individualization of collective problems thus also leads to more polarization and is a breeding ground for anti-democratic ideas.

Instead of focusing on the hard-working Dutch, I advocate focusing on cooperating Netherlands. By jointly ensuring a good welfare state, education that is less performance-oriented but primarily revolves around room for development, and a good social safety net that helps you get back on your feet after bad luck, we can build a more relaxed society.

In a relaxed society, we save many costs arising from stress, such as illness, disability, and youth care. This way, a relaxed society works better for everyone.

Vrij Nederland published a shortened summary of my Spiekman Lecture on May 1st. And Trouw interviewed me for their Saturday newspaper. See below for the links to the Spiekman Lecture, Vrij Nederland, and the Trouw interview.

Spiekman Lecture 👉 progressiefnederland.nl…

Vrij Nederland 👉 vn.nl/ren-je-rot-samenl…

Interview Trouw 👉 trouw.nl/politiek/kamer…