opvoedingsproblemen - gedragsproblemen - jeugdcriminaliteit - orthopedagogiek - politiek voor de 21ste eeuw   

1. What awaits us in the 21st century?

You have not to be a doomsayer to see what's going on in today's world. We are caught in the vicious circle of increasing armaments, on which thousands of billions are spent every year. Despite all the scientific and technological developments, we have become none the wiser. Wars are still raging. Hundreds of millions of people live in extreme poverty. Hundreds of millions of children lack proper education to develop their talents. Millions of refugees are in a hopeless situation. Another vicious circle from which we have not yet managed to escape is the destruction of nature, the exhaustion of the planet, the attack on biodiversity, the terrible air pollution.

We do, however, have the potential to make the world an earth paradise. Especially in the West people are very well off. There is democracy, there is little corruption, people live relatively safe, education is excellent and there are good social and medical facilities. The whole world wants to emigrate to the West, as it were.

I have a proposal to get out of the vicious circles. We must evolve towards a spiritual era in which the question of meaning becomes central again. Creation has a meaning and if we keep that in mind, people will feel responsible for each other, for people far away and for future generations. Then every citizen will see it as his duty to dedicate himself to the land of his ancestors, solidarity will start where necessary with people who are in need and there will be good stewardship over planet earth.

Either we enter a man-made apocalypse in the 21st century, or we create a new Garden of Eden, with beautiful landscapes, thriving nature and people who get along well.

My ideas are further developed below

2. The explosive mixture of pandemics, climate change and mass immigration

Introduction of my Dutch book ’The European Jihad for Civilization Preservation' (2022) LINK

 The heads of government of the past fifty years in the Western European countries should be taken to court for what they have done to European civilization. Nevertheless, this book assumes a positive attitude. The question is how to get out of the swamp. This is about the quagmire of the multicultural society and the dogma of economic growth. The age-old wisdom from the story of the Tower of Babel says that multicultural society leads to the chaos of civil wars and racial tensions. The dogma of economic growth leads to an exhaustion of the earth and a destruction of the environment for people, animals and plants. 'In the beginning', in Hebrew 'Bereshit', it was said of the earth and the waters 'that it was good', of the living creatures in the waters, the fowl and the beasts 'that it was good', of man that everything was entrusted to him and that all this was 'very good'. Where did we get the right to destroy all that good on our planet?

This book looks for alternatives to keep the world livable, both physically and psychologically, for everything that lives in it, . Ethics are indispensable here. This means that every individual, every ethnic group and every people must behave responsibly for the living environment that the ancestors cherished and loved.

History will judge harshly government leaders for bringing our civilization to the brink of collapse and at worst, destroying it. These heads of government have failed to take up their responsibilities on many fronts. We have brought upon ourselves the biblical plagues that are escalating in the 21st century. Pandemics, climate change, mass immigration, the stifling of the fundamental values ​​of our civilization by the more than a hundred million Muslims who have forced themselves upon us with values ​​incompatible with our own ethics [1] and the deconstruction of the family and of the sovereignty of our countries, will make life in Europe hell. We have lost our exemplary role so that the tentacles of evil can spread unhindered across the rest of the world. The hypocrisy of congresses, conferences and treaties throws up a smokescreen to avoid having to take responsibility.

This book was written to save what remains to be saved. As an ultimate attempt to motivate as many people as possible to behave responsibly. How can we free ourselves from the dictatorship of the European Union? How can we motivate the immigrants to realize peace, well-being and prosperity in the Islamic countries and in black Africa in solidarity with us? In those countries there is still an enormous untapped potential of human talent. How do we restore norms and values ​​in a maddened society? What lessons do we draw from the above plagues and what can we do? Can only God save us as Heidegger has claimed and can we still listen to the voice of the Other, in which, according to Levinas, God speaks to us and makes an appeal to see not our ego as the center of our existence, but the Other? Do we want to live a meaningful life or do we get lost in a virtual game as slaves to artificial intelligence and algorithms?

Any multicultural society will end up like Lebanon. We are already seeing that in our multicultural society the concern for each other is diminishing, there is less connection and people feel less responsible for each other. Hence the increase in fraud. Many disregard rules of civilized conduct. Radicalization on the left and on the right is increasing. These are the first signs of a development towards a lebanonization of Europe. The majority of people in all ethnic groups still care, show solidarity and responsibility, but in times of great tension, the tide can turn.

In the 21st century, we face challenges that will lead to even more polarization in society. Until the bomb explodes. The consequences of climate change, mass immigration, pandemics that profoundly disrupt social life, shortages of raw materials, religions and ideologies that create enemy images and other unpredictable developments will affect every citizen. Purchasing power will fall, there will be an enormous shortage in the housing market, the national debt will pile up so that basic social services will have to be cut drastically. Inequality in society will grow exponentially, healthcare will become unaffordable, the family as the cornerstone of society is crumbling, more and more people lose hope and become disturbed so that eventually it becomes each for himself and each person is a wolf to the other.

The horrors of the last century will be repeated many times over in the 21st century. Can this tide be turned? This book is primarily aimed at one reader: the statesman who will restore hope to the people and save them from the worst. A statesman who dares to face reality. A statesman who dares to take the necessary measures.

What is the reality? What is happening before our eyes? What measures can we take to turn the tide? This book discusses one by one the major social issues that will shape the fate of humanity in the 21st century. I hope this confronts the reader and makes them think. No definitive solutions are provided here. Rather, it is about the courage to observe and analyze developmens instead of closering our eyes and repress our feelings. Repression usually leads to psychosocial disorders. The awareness that I want to stimulate with this book will ultimately have a healing effect.

In various themes that will be discussed in the following chapters, suggestions are made for turning the world into one large 'network of solidarity'. A statesman won't be able to solve the problems so much. He will not be able to restore the prosperity of the past. He will not be able to stop the effects of climate change. He will not be a prophet, nor will he be a new Marx. The statesman who will make the 21st century the best century ever, despite all the adversity afflicting the world, will inspire humanity to stand in solidarity with one another. He will appeal to each of us to take responsibility where possible so that we do not give up. This statesman will give a new meaning to the life of every citizen in the bleak times that lie ahead: in spite of all the suffering and all the shortcomings, we will know that we are there for each other, that one person cares about the other, selflessly and unconditionally. For him it is an undeniable truth that the vast majority of people, of any race or ethnic group, are of good will, want to distribute wealth equitably, make peace among the people, work hard for their families, take care of those who are dear to him and who treat nature and cultural heritage with respect. The point is that the small group of five percent of the behaviorally disturbed or antisocial does not get the chance to stir up the masses or take control of power. We must prevent a criminal gang from running a country.  

It does not seem wise to me to rely on traditional politics to meet the formidable challenges of this 21st century. It is equally naive to pin hopes on a populist. It is downright dangerous if the far left, far right or extreme green get a chance to seize power.

There is a lot of uncertainty about the consequences of the pandemic, of climate change and of mass immigration. To what extent are the current economic models tenable? How can we prevent terrorist attacks? Won't the arms race spiral out of control or escalate into war, possibly as a result of human error? How long is the widening gap between rich and poor countries and between rich and poor acceptable? Is it really impossible to eradicate hunger definitively? How much longer will the middle class accept that their wealth is decreasing more and more? What perspective do future retirees have? Is there an ethic that connects all people and promotes solidarity? With fewer and fewer people opting for the traditional family, isn't the cornerstone of society being undermined? It is difficult to give definitive answers to all these questions.  

What is clear is that these questions point to developments that could have major consequences for humanity and life on earth in this 21st century. If we are overwhelmed by life-threatening developments, if our safety is compromised or if we have to fear unbearable shortages, biological forces are released that cannot be controlled. When fear prevails, primitive instincts emerge and humans are capable of anything. A scapegoat is soon found. This was the case in the 1930s, with the well-known consequences. Even the most civilized countries are not immune to it. Racism, discrimination and ethnic cleansing then become 'natural'. What is currently unthinkable can become reality overnight in the face of great tensions.

This book looks for an alternative, based on the above axiom that most people are of good will. Many of the problems cited above are partly or wholly the result of traditional politics. In order to prevent destructive movements from leading to a struggle of all against all, nine chapters analyze themes about which there is great disagreement in society. Paradoxically, it will become apparent that what is the source of Western, especially European civilization, offers the opportunity to make the 21st century the best century ever, despite all the threats and calamities.

With this book I hope to make it clear that despite all the possible criticism of European civilization and all the grave mistakes that were made in the past, Europe has a positive message for humanity. That is exactly why hundreds of millions of people prefer to come to Europe. The alternative outlined in this book is essentially nothing new. It is what makes man human, bereshit ( בְּרֵאשִׁית ).

[ Postscript and conclusions of my book ’The age of fear and trembling’: link ]

[1] This comment can immediately be seen as racist or discriminatory. I stick to the facts: Followers of this religion have been murdering Christians for over a thousand years and to this day. That religion is then a religion of peace in areas where Muslims who adhere to the same tendency live. A hallucinatory description of the fate of Christians in today's Middle East, including the Gaza Strip, can be found in Di Giovanni, J. (2021). Vanishing: Faith, loss, and the twilight of Christianity in the land of the prophets . New York: PublicAffairs. 

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I try to answer four questions in the following texts: 

(1) how to keep peace in the 21st century, despite all the challenges? 

(2) how to achieve peace, well-being and prosperity in Africa and in the Islamic countries?

(3) How to end the destruction of the planet and the extreme poverty of billions of people?

(4) What role can European civilization play for a more humane world and how can it remain strong? (see also my book: The best century ever and my papers on Academia.edu )

other texts:

Full text here: The end of multicultural societies or here: academie.edu

More texts will follow soon. Please send a mail to be notified to: juliaan.vanacker@gmail.c