Child seeks parents
Attention is the best antidote for materialism. Lisette Thooft| November 2003 issue Once when my son John was around 13, he was sitting in the living room watching television. It was a daily soap opera that he ab-so-lute-ly had to see so he could join in with peer group discussions. Another stupid Read More...
Little people, big business
Jonathan Rowe and Gary Ruskin claim that our culture of consumption is undermining parenting. Jonathan Rowe and Gary Ruskin | November 2003 issue Paul Kurnit is the president of KidShop, an advertising firm that specialises in marketing to children, and he has plans for our kids. ‘Kid business Read More...
Dying to live
To find peace you sometimes need to confront your worst fears. Tijn Touber | November 2003 issue Not too long ago, a good friend of mine reached a stage in her life where she did not know what to do any more. Having just survived a marriage crisis, she had recently severely dislocated her back. Read More...
Liquid love
Modern individuals continually yearn for the security of a relationship. At the same time they fear the accompanying obligations and impingements on their freedom. A philosophical look at an all too familiar paradox.Zygmunt Bauman | December 2003 issue My central characters are men and women, our Read More...
Crisis? What crisis?
The recession is causing tension in the job market and uncertainty in many families. But according to Jurriaan Kamp there is a deeper crisis lurking behind the current malaise: the modern economic system is creating fewer and fewer jobs that people find gratifying.Jurriaan Kamp | October 2003 Read More...
Growth? What growth?
'The gross domestic product measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither of our compassion nor our devotion to country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.' -- Robert KennedyJurriaan Kamp | October 2003 issue Economic Read More...
Good work
Fine, so you no longer want to sit in an office from nine to five, watching the clock and wondering why time passes so slowly. You want to be free from the stress and chaos of your present job, and wouldn't mind a weekend off now and again. You want to lose the feeling that you're working yourself Read More...
In search of your calling
If you're not sure what kind of work you are looking for, it may be useful to ask yourself some questions.Tijn Touber | October 2003 issue 1. What (or who) makes me jealous? Although jealousy may not be the best of qualities, it tells you something about yourself. You might envy the teacher who has Read More...
'I encourage people to go on holiday'
ING Chairman Ewald Kist doesn't want you to be a workaholic. Jurriaan Kamp | October 2003 issue He employs 115.000 people worldwide. His company is in the middle of an intensely competitive battle within the international financial world. You would think that Ewald Kist could use every hour his Read More...
Senseless yet meaningful
You don't have to wait to be told or paid to do something meaningful.Tijn Touber | October 2003 issue It all began in 1982 when Anne Herbert wrote the words ‘practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty’ on a placemat in a local Sausolito (California, United States) restaurant. Read More...