New perspectives and a plan of approach
So now I will get to the third part of my argument. In the first part I provided my starting-point, which is that in this world of increasing globalisation, as cosmopolitans, we have new opportunities and challenges to realise human rights and millenium targets. And that our society in essence is a unity which manifests itself in an enormous variety. I stipulated that the purpose of my lecture is that I wish to make a contribution to the awareness that our influence on our living environment is only limited, but that both individually and jointly we are responsible for the way that we are dealing with the earth. Both in life, living and working we can make our individual and collective contribution to the whole. The purpose of this lecture is to stimulate you to give it content and to provide you insights and concrete opportunities for that. In the second part of my lecture I gave you a number of results of the climate summit and I drew three harsh conclusions. Not exactly to be happy about, but in the third part I promised you a number of new perspectives and a plan of approach. In this third part I will provide you an answer to the following question: How can we individually and jointly reduce the harmful role of man and expand our constructive role? To be able to provide an answer to that question I must tell you first what is the role of man in the climate problems.
The role and involvement of man in the climate problems
The climate is particularly determined by the radiation of the sun and the influence of man on that is only very slight. The influence of the energy of the sun is at least ten times greater than the entire annual energy consumption in the whole world. Eruptions of vulcans do not occur very often anymore, but they have a great influence when they do occur. Water vapour is the greenhouse gas that has the greatest effect on the weather and the climate. These are only a few examples. The earth does therefore include quite a lot more that the creature Man and pursues its own process. We may consider ourselves the most important creature on this earth, but a little more modesty would certainly become us. So the influence of man is only limited and man shall have to adapt anyhow to the natural circumstances that present themselves. Climate changes cannot be attributed exclusively to natural phenomena. Even though man has only a limited influence on the climate, the exhaustion of natural resources and the environment and the improper human behaviour definitely have very negative, harmful effects on the natural balance. It is therefore important to dwell on the role and the involvement of man. We are trying to understand nature and the natural processes. That is a good point to strive for, but what human processes are going to play a role there?
The analysis of the problem: The false personality of man
Each human being has a true personality and a false personality and we all make mistakes. I believe in the good in man and that appearances overshadow the Being. By recognising that we are wrapped in appearance we can solve it and by unwrapping it we can come to true and sustainable development. It is therefore a good thing to put the finger on the sore spot and to help each other in our development process. I will therefore name you a number of spurious characteristics that will cause the failure of negotiations: Distrust, putting one’s own interests first, putting the blame on someone else, standing on one’s own authority, wanting to justify oneself, and not fulfilling promises and agreements. As well as ego-tripping, sensitivity for status, improper greed for power and fear of loss of face.
Not only do we possess these false characteristics but we are also capable of fully denying or suppressing threats. We do not want to think about them and not feel or experience them. We protect ourselves against unwelcome information by means of protective and defensive mechanisms, because we do not wish to be faced with our conscience, our responsibility, negligence, feelings of guilt and shortcomings of whatever nature. And also powerlessness, which I mentioned in the first part of this lecture, makes people shut themselves off for problems. When people think that it is not possible to get a grip on the problems and consider them unsolvable, people put them aside and “hope for the best”.
The consequences of this spurious behaviour and this mental resistance are that we do not solve the problems and world issues, that human rights are still being violated and the millennium targets are not realised. The human share in the climate problems is in its deepest sense caused by man’s psychology and view on life. Knowing this it is now time to answer the question how we, individually and jointly, can reduce the harmful role of man and how we can expand our constructive role.
On the basis of decades of study and my practical experience and life’s experience I have come to a new human model and a methodology in which causes and solutions in the field of our view on life and the psychology of man will be presented to us. To this end I introduced an awareness psychology and the awareness management based on that and I laid that down in the book for reading, study and work “Man in the 21st century”. In view of the time available to me I would like to refer you to this book.
I am convinced – confirmed by the results of various international conferences – that only psychological insight will be the fruitful breeding ground of whatever conference there will be. I therefore call on you to get to know more of awarenesspsychology and the awarenessmanagement based on that. Through this individual and collective, national or international, objectives can be realised in a better, earlier, cheaper and more effective way. To the benefit of all of us.
I am all in favour of a pragmatic approach whereby initiatives of citizens and private enterprises will be encouraged by the government. I am optimistic when I learn about the many projects that contribute to the solution of globalisation issues. Man has appearances, but when the need is high, fine forms of cooperation and solidarity will develop and man will appear to be exceedingly creative.
We, as the inhabitants of the rich countries, are the 20% of the world’s population that uses 80% of the available raw materials. We can reduce quite a lot of unnecessary luxury and waste and make our ecological foot print much smaller. That is primarily our responsibility. On my personal weblog I have formulated 33 agreements that we can make with each other. It is not feasible to mention them all. I would like to refer you to my weblog. A few remarkable agreements I will not keep from you however:
1. People invest in self-knowledge, self-reflection and an inward view and in listening effectively to the other.
2. Multi-disciplinary projects are started up for the realisation of human rights and the millennium targets. The multidisciplinary working conferences are an example of that.
3. Trust management, based on awareness psychology and awareness management are implemented for coaching and training of among others, politicians, executives, leaders, teachers.
4. Production and supply of energy is of such a worldwide importance that they cannot be privatised. Privatised enterprises think first and foremost of their shareholders. That is why consumers pay too much for energy and the supply of energy is not always guaranteed. Energy creation and energy supply will be nationalised and preferably internationalised as much as possible.
5. Worldwide a stiff environmental tax will be levied on fireworks and sports and other activities that cause a lot of damage to the environment. These funds will be used for energy-saving projects.
6. Young people will be involved more in decision-making and execution of projects. For they are the climate generation who will experience the consequences of decisions that are taken now.
7. The government optimises energy-saving in all government buildings.
8. By information campaigns consumers will be made aware of their share in the emission of greenhouse gases. The consumption of less meat and fewer vegetables from the greenhouse will be encouraged, flying will be discouraged, buying more fuel-economic cars and the isolation of houses will be stimulated. The waste of water will be prevented and the decrease of the use of electricity and the application of sustainable energy will be promoted.
Finally I wish to give you the following:
More and more people are becoming sceptical and consider the financial crisis, the vaccination hype, and all the fuss of global warming to be intimidation, aimed at taking money from consumers. This distrust is caused by the grab-and-bonus culture, the behaviour of certain multinationals and banks, the corruption, the communication about the WHO and the pharmaceutical industry, the remaining at bay of the pandemic and by the manipulation of data by scientists. The discussion is obscured tremendously by this all. Many are disappointed in campaigns and actions where improper self-interest and other fake motives are playing a role at the expense of the good cause. This makes people suspicious, and rightly so. There are an increasing number of people that realise that we cannot “redeem” problems and that we cannot provide a solution by means of money, rules, procedures and checks. However useful they may be, provided they are implemented and applied well.
In the media every now and then a negative and one-sided image is provided of young people. I can’t agree with that and certainly not with the way certain religious people and population groups are being stigmatised. That is why I consciously use other examples. For there are certainly criminal, terrorist Christians, Dutch youths loitering about, corruption, indecent and respectless Dutch people and other Westerners. But I also know fantastic young people, full of ideals: idealistic realists, realistic idealists who are taking their responsibility for a better world. For instance these Maroccan and Turkish youngsters, muslims and football fans who wish to make the best of it.
Are the idealists a minority? Well maybe they are, but that is all the more reason to be very careful with them and to cherish them. Because they exist! Let’s deal with that improper behaviour – by anyone – but let’s cherish the light bringers. Talk to each other, and with people young and old from the developing countries. Bring them here. Maybe it is an idea for this school to do that once.
We, the people, have proved to be capable of a great deal when we act together. We are capable of creating world wonders, to come to reconstruction and recovery. Globalisation offers perspectives. In solidarity we will come to the realisation of objectives, of human rights and millenium targets. Let’s put our shoulders to the wheel and enter into a dialogue with each other.
Why? Because we don’t want to have a world that is ruled by fear, distrust and cold-heartedness. We want to live in a world the beauty of which we recognise and cherish, in which we will tackle the world problems starting from pure motives, in which we will live together on the basis of trust, will respectfully treat each other’s culture and be perceptive to each other’s vision and way of life. A world in which we don’t judge each other, but listen to each other, to the wonder in the other person and around us.
I gave this lecture the title: “The climate, our business too! How do we go from here after the climate summit in Copenhagen? I outlined the current state of affairs and role of man and I gave you my vision of how we can come to a sustainable solution of the climate problems. I am convinced that we can only solve them in a sustainable way, by solving the pollution of our individual and collective mental climate. Solving that is an absolute condition to be able to solve the globalisation problems truly and sustainably. How do we get to the abolition of our spurious behaviour, to be abolition of the pollution of the mental climate? By self-reflection, an inward view, by listening to the Self, to the deepest wishes of your soul as a human being, to the wonder inside yourself. To continue from there by listening to the other and be perceptive to the wonder in the other. And the result is: A more aware and therefore better and happier world. And a next climate summit with optimal and sustainable results. That is what I wish you all. Thank you for your attention.