MODERN SLAVERY

Does it make sense to still commemorate our slavery's past? 

Has slavery really vanished from our lives, not only in the Western world but worldwide? In India there is still a cast system, in Dubai foreign workers are flown in and kept while their kids grow up elsewhere, hardly ever seeing their parents and in countries like Colombia poor farmers have to escape to a miserable life in the city in order not to delay the production of cocaine for European and North American consumption. 

On a sophisticated small scale we see something happening: Max Havelaar coffee and bananas, child labor is traced where possible and now and than slaves are being released from factories in the inland of China.

Thanks to Al Gore we are finally aware that we are globally responsible for the status of the natural habitat, but shouldn't we also show a bit more interest in the living conditions of people less fortunate than the Western consumer? Or is our wallet more important than a decent life for the workers - far away - who actually partly keep our economy running and healthy?

Every world citizen should be aware of the fact that we are living together on this globe and that we have a shared responsibility. That doesn't stop with buying now-and-than a biological product, to work more at home and drive less or to donate to charity once in a while. A new global attitude is needed that shows interest and cares for everything and everybody.

Sceptics will say:" We have heard the socialists and communists say the same." Capitalism didn't bring what it has preached either: a great number of people in the US live under very poor conditions.

A complex world isn't helped by conservative thinking: we need vision and insight like for instance William McDonough and Michael Braungart are showing in their book Cradle-to-Cradle or Eric D. Beinhocker in his book "The origin of Wealth" and the many others who are publishing about nature, sustainability and new economic thinking. Unfortunately  the most important component of a production process, human labour still hasn't reached the top of our list.

On the threshold of a "responsible revolution", let's include the right for every human being to food, education and respect.

FROM "GOOGLE THINKING" TO LOCAL AGAIN?

Nowadays, it sometimes seems that we can obtain everything for free. At first sight of-course, because afterwards we are always presented a bill: in terms of money, giving part of our privacy in exchange or having to receive unwanted spam.

By giving away something, you create a relationship with the receiver. Normally this happens without a hidden agenda, however the opposite is true when you are dealing with for instance LinkedIn, Google or Facebook. 

As an innocent user of Google, Facebook or any other community you are under the impression you have found the solution for all your problems in life: finding new information, friends or even jobs. Unfortunately you are confronted with an unexpected bill. 

In the past the border between paid and for free was clear: you got paid for your work and leisure time and charity was for free. In our diffuse present time it is more complicated, because time and even space are no longer definable entities: a pub can be your working space, you can live in Barcelona and work everyday in Amsterdam, without physically being present.

Fact is that mankind loves everything that is for free, which is widely acknowledged by the commercial world. The issue is volume: working on a large scale - to have access to a lot of profiles, IP addresses or email accounts - means that there are always fishes to catch.  The question is: "Do we mind paying with our privacy?" Because, is there a way back? A life without a free search engine has become unthinkable, also a free mobile phone with your contract or the smaller discounts provided by air-miles cards etc. 

The only option to avoid these kind of services is to withdraw from modern life completely: to choose for a self-supporting lifestyle "back to nature" or to start a life of a "pro-sumer" supported by consumer technology.

People are innovative and curious: the first signs of emerging micro-economies are visible. People choosing for a less stressful life restoring old furniture, the growth of local food on menu's or Holidays closer to home.

Old economic values where "more" is the only option are getting competition of a new approach marked by small scale, quality and service. Not only return on investment counts, also a pleasant environment and awareness is important.

With great respect for the achievements of Google c.s.: giving something away and become a millionaire. The time is also ready for local initiatives focused on individual needs.

NOTHING IS STRANGE!

We are brought into this world as a complete miracle of the unknown. Everybody is happy with a newborn and astonished by the fact that living species are capable of producing another living creature. This fascination often lasts until the moment the first crying/sleepness nights occur and duty will call again. The reality of structure and regularity has returned and simultaneously the start of the thorough wiping out of any trace of the undefinable in the new baby's awareness.

Paradoxically speaking, thanks to our disrespect for nature, high oil prices or unnecessary wars we start realizing that, maybe, the structures we have created during the last 2000 years - religion, education, politics, economics - are showing too many traces of wear and tear.

Communication technology lifted the curtains covering established institutions and showed us how to create our own economy (ebay, craigslist or swapace) to bring our own news, opinions and observations in blogs and fora or to share ideas, contacts, knowledge or pleasure (linkedin, wikipedia, twitter, myspace).

New insights bring us freedom and creativity to finish with old dogma and will open doors to unorthodox approaches to every aspect in our lives. 

To remove the word "strange" from our vocabulary might be the first step to a world with incredible new ideas and business opportunities, kinder ways of living together and more commitment of every world citizen to global, participatory politics.

END OF THE DESIGNERS ERA?

Philip Starck has recently informed us that everything he had designed in the past was totally unnecessary. Personally, I couldn't agree with him more. Design for the sake of design doesn't squeeze oranges in the glass but on the table, washes your clothes instead of your hands and produces light switches that are "cool" not to be found.
Thanks to modern technology, fortunately we have entered a new era where designers, producers, retailers and consumers work together, in order to create sensible, sustainable and desired products.

FOREVER YOUNG

In the past it was only the priviledge for men to become gracefully old. Fortunately we see more often women claiming that right, especially the ones entering the fifth decenium of their lives. Thanks to advertisement campaigns of companies like Dove these women are taken serious. With the eye of an artist Dove shows beauty behind a few pounds too many, healthy grey hair or wrinkles around sparkling eyes. Modern women have worked way too hard the last thirty years to feel old and ugly: they are happy, proud and above all sexy.

FASHIONING THE FUTURE

FASHIONING THE FUTURE
In a society where borders are disappearing on almost every level, it is not sufficient to segment markets in consumer, style nor fashion groups. Fashion has always been a reflection of time-spirit, nowadays it almost dictates society’s behavior in general.
Will in the near future, the emphasis of the fashion phenomena be focused not only on garments, interior or mobile phones but also on insurances, finances and politics?
In a world in chaos it is not always the best choice to analyse and structure alone, sometimes it is better to sense change and to anticipate with intuition. Often this approach will help you to set the first steps into a direction that unconsciously is the one of your clients or even voters. After having chosen the right track, you can start thinking about analysis, marketing or strategy. The idea is to grasp the future instead of clinging to the past.