Poverty versus Wealth

 

Quickly visit the supermarket on a rainy, cold Thursday afternoon in March. I have no intention of doing anything else, so I go outside 'unmade' in a long winter coat. I am biking to the mall with a hat on and an umbrella. It becomes a wake-up call.

Please tell me something

Purposeful and dreaming within myself, I am approached by a lady with a camera. If she can ask something on behalf of the local newspaper. My thought, and probably attitude, is dismissive. I've seen the many stories from that newspaper with questions for casual passers-by. No need for it.

But she explains that she wants to ask something about poverty... and that is a subject that is close to my heart. Presentable or not, none of that is important anymore. The most important thing is to tell a story, an experience, of poverty in the Netherlands.

A short video

A video is not my thing. But being able to say something about poverty is so important that I shake off all trepidation and doubt. We get into a conversation without the camera rolling. I let it be known that I am very angry. Angry about how people and the planet are treated. But that anger is not what I want to radiate. So after a short conversation, the video starts, and I answered several questions. Various questions come up, and I answer them with passion. I have a good feeling about it. Until...

Startle

A day later when I see the video, I am shocked by my appearance. The anger I radiate... Much anger. Even though I had said beforehand that I didn't want to radiate anger, I am scared of myself; this is not what I want to show. I want to work towards a healthy and fair society. But from a positive point of view.

Transformation

The benefit of the "unwanted" video is that I saw myself in a certain way. A look I don't want to see anymore, so much anger and sadness underneath that. I don't want to do this to myself anymore. The outside world doesn't change by itself, nor does the inner world, but that's the world I can influence. And I have one more step to take!

In one of the last questions in the conversation, I said that I felt good, despite the many setbacks and the few financial resources. I feel rich, rich because I have a roof over my head, rich because of the many beautiful people around me, rich because of my possibilities.

The Alice from the video has removed a coat, and she no longer puts on that coat. It's been enough. I no longer want to be carried away in the downward spiral of our society. A destructive loop, not only for myself but also for my environment and the world. It's deadly, deadly in multiple dimensions, for humans in the first place. And thus fatal for all life on earth, harmful to creativity and innovation, and detrimental to healthy growth. I now choose not to let myself get carried away by these pitfalls. Stop focusing on this negativity, but focus on what I want.

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

― Buckminster Fuller

Wealth

The things that make me happy are creating and innovating and sharing joy and wealth. That's the main thing. That's my path. Enjoying life, feeling that I am alive and that life is of value. Inspiring others and thereby also giving myself a great gift.

An insight that comes to me seems simple and familiar but still feels different. The only way to change things is to do things differently, not by fighting, but by being an example of how it can be done, how things can be done differently.

I do not shy away from all conflicts, but how these conflicts are dealt with is entirely different. It doesn't suck anymore because it doesn't grab me anymore. The energy has been removed because I don't give it more power.

Thankful

For example, a video of myself that I would rather not have seen gives me an important message: 'Stop. It's been enough. You get to enjoy life.' And that's what I'm going to do, having confidence that life is good and enjoying the many beautiful people around me.

My mission for my whole life: Creating Heaven on Earth.