Today’s blog title is a rough translation of a Dutch saying from the 1970s. It represents a drive for compassion and economic growth, and is still at the core of Dutch politics. This expression also represents my core values and prevents me from drifting to either Left or Right. Moreover, I dislike the arrogance of the Left and the ignorance of the Right (my 2017 blog).
Ultimately, that 1970s saying is rooted in a Dutch proverb: the truth is in the middle. An English equivalent is: “There’s two sides to every story and the truth is somewhere in the middle.” In the 1980’s, a Dutch weekly magazine combined both in a quite funny marketing slogan: if the truth is in the middle then left-wing people should read right-wing magazines.
Choosing between two sides is an example of dualism (my blogs). Trialism involves a love for both sides (eg, Love-Knowledge-Power and deeds-words-intentions). Over time, the global worldview has been changing from trialism to dualism (Knowledge vs Power) towards monism (my blogs), in which the main focus is on Power. China is an example of monism.
I think, feel and believe that the reason is as follows: the more complexity in our world, the more simplicity in our worldview. Simplicity is a coping mechanism in a world of ever-increasing complexity (eg, technology). Our tendency for seeking simplicity in a complex world may well be a reason why history is often repeating itself.
There’s more to this: simplicity and closed-mindedness save us energy, which is a major benefit. Open-mindedness and a willingness for understanding complexity are exhausting. After writing a blog, my mind is in urgent need of a power nap. To me, the rewards of understanding complexity outweigh the cost (eg, energy) and/or the risk (eg, of failure).
There’s a hidden beauty in humankind: everybody is different (eg, intelligence). These differences could have resulted in adversity but the opposite is true: these differences are a blessing in disguise. To a large extent, opposites even attract (my blogs of 2018 and 2019).
“There are always two sides to every story, and it is generally wise, and safe, and charitable, to take the best; and yet there is probably no one way in which persons are so liable to be wrong, as in presuming the worst is true, and in forming and expressing their judgement of others, and of their actions, without waiting till all the truth is known.” A quote from Charity & Its Fruits (1738) by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), an American preacher, philosopher, and theologian.
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