Until recently, I didn't appreciate this topic. In my view, it was a hobby horse (Dutch: stokpaardje) of the liberal-left. Today, my perspective is shifting following its drivers, being: (i) increasing life expectancy or demographics, (ii) being irrelevant to society, (iii) declining religion, and (iv) urbanisation. In many countries, the average age of the...
Religion
Joie de vivre
6 Jun, 2023
This topic isn't easy due to recent events. Actually, it hasn't been easy since that day in May 2013. Ever since my 2013 burnout and subsequent 18 month depression, joie de vivre doesn't come natural anymore. Faith, Hope and Love also keep me going; see my 15 March 2023 blog. Faith and religion are two separate items. I'm not religious while I have lots of faith....
The “third road” aka trialism
19 Apr, 2023
There are some fierce debates in our lives: either you make a choice for this (eg, Android, electric cars), or for that (eg, Apple iOS, fossil fuel cars) given our priorities. People suggest that there is no third road (eg, full hybrid cars). This is an example of dualism. Why is a third road less popular? The words third road often relate to Politics. Examples:...
When will Shia and Sunni Islam focus on atheism in China?
23 Mar, 2023
Many articles claim that China brokered a peace agreement between Iran (ie, Shia Islam) and Saudi Arabia (ie, Sunni Islam). The main benefactor should be Yemen by ending the relentless proxy war between Shia and Sunni Islam. How about the (Muslim) Uyghur genocide in China? Much to my surprise, there is already a Wiki page on anti-China terrorism in Pakistan. "It is...
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
13 Mar, 2023
My blog title is a phrase that is attributed to Chinese philosopher Confucius (c. 551 – c. 479 BCE). Someone at Quora wonders what is meant by it as "I am definitely not trying to make my life complicated." That addition poses an interesting perspective: why do we insist on making life complicated? First and foremost, I agree with the observation by...
Does crime fiction reflect reality?
15 Feb, 2023
I like several British and Scandinavian TV crime series. Recently, I started wondering if (their) crime fiction reflects reality? Based on my initial research, the answer seems clear: yes. Even in the Netherlands, there is a correlation: Baantjer (crime in Amsterdam), Penoza (drugs crime in Brabant). Statistics show that the "homicide rate in the UK was 1.2 per...
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