Telltale 92
A visit to Europe and civilisation?
Okay, it has been a solid three years that I was in Holland and the
better part of western civilisation. So, time to head back. The work on
Sylphe and the major repair of the accident was done. All that remains
is the normal spring works, like varnishing, cleaning and getting the
boat equipped again with sails, ropes and other stuff, that was cleared
away for the winter. But still enough time for that later
So, I booked flights and left Sylphe for a month behind.
I flew from Marmaris to Istanbul, spend a night with Sabri and took a
plane to Amsterdam. Kenan picked me up from the airport and I used that
weekend to get used to the climate and the pace of living. Not to
mention getting used to their two little sons (age 1 and 4). The oldest
one, Zeb, has been onboard Sylphe twice already and vaguely remembers
me. And thoroughly enjoyed waking me up the first day at 6 in the
morning. Ha, that would teach me.
The frist week I spent with different friends and family, who all have
kids. And from the point of view of a bachelor and someone without
kids, their lives have thoroughly changed. The children determine their
lives and activities and I admire them all for it, although it is not
my cup of tea. The biggest change in their lives is the fact that by
the time the kids go to bed, the parents are all nackered and finished.
ALL. After taking care of the kids, working, getting the kids to and
from school/daycare, shopping, feeding and what ever else, little time
remains for their own lives and wishes. It is not a criticism, just a
conclusion of how their lives changed.
I went to France for a long weekend with Willem, my old high-school
teacher and semi-Dad. We had a great time in his new house, which at
this stage is still a ruin, but we worked hard on getting things
organised. The evenings around the fire-place talking and eating, took
me back some 28 years and reminded me of the time that I lived with
Willem when I quit school. The good old days. It was hard to leave him
again. But even though we see each other only once every two years the
friendship is deep and warm and everlasting.
Over the next weeks I visited more freinds and moreover saw my family.
Especially my dad is getting older and unfortunately was in hospital
again, when I visited him for the first time. He is still doing okay
and hanging in strongly. My mom is a very strong woman and recently
discovered the computer and e-mail. Bravo for her. Sorry for her
though, I spent two days staying with her in bed, as (to be expected)
my body could not handle the climate change and I landed with the flu.
Evenings with Eveline and Vincent, Andre and Fiona, Anca and Pieter,
Rob, Margot, Jan, Kenan and Mariette made time fly by. I must admit
that all in all I really enjoyed my visit to Holland to see all of
them.
But the country........... My God, it
was worse than I feared.
The people in general, the laws and rules, the intolerance, the pace,
the IN-flexibility have turned this place into something I really DO
NOT enjoy. One is being watched all the time. People have no time for
each other. Obligations and appointments rule ones life. Rules
and laws have become sooo dominant, that there is
little space left. The overwhelming necessity to become efficient and
cost-cutting has taken the personality out of this society. From
train-stations where one has to buy a ticket from machines (which
refuse my card or cash money, so I board without ticket and get fined.
Good luck with sending me the fine as I have no address!!) To
supermarket personel that comment me on taking a short-cut through the
cashiers (DO NOT DO THAT AGAIN!!), don't worry I will not visit your
store again. From banks that refuse to change Turkish currency, with
the comment: "We do NOT do business with THAT country", completely
forgetting that their own bank has 12 offices in Turkey and omitting
the fact that there are some 300.000 Turks in Holland doing the work
that the Dutch no longer wanna do.
And just to demonstrate that they have gone really over the top:
Smoking is of course not being allowed in public buildings etc. Okay,
can accept that one. The most ridiculous one however is the
trainstation (I used it a lot after all), where INSIDE the building one
is not allowed to smoke. Great. But even on the platform, fully exposed
to the rain and the full cold wind one is not allowed to smoke. Only
under a special sign. How far do you wanna go?? How ridiculous do you
want to be??
BUT Holland
has a more serious problem (like the rest of the world!!). Known once
as one of the most liberal and
tolerant countries in the world, the place is now full of suspicion and
IN-tolerance.
I worked in Sudan for MSF, some ten years ago, in the middle of a swamp
and the closest road was 1000 km's away, So a really remote place. We
ran a feeding centre for malnourished kids there. At six in the evening
the chief of the village would invite me for a daily walk around in the
swamp. We talked a lot, and although he had never travelled and his
community functioned without currency, no electricity, no cars, etc, he
was a man who surprised me. He predicted that the next BIG war would be
over religion. 10 years down the road, those words vibrate through my
head. Watching TV, reading the newspaper or just walking down the
street, it becomes evident that he was damn right. The religious
intolerance in the western world (and elsewhere, by the way!!) has
reached a stage where neighbours suddenly look upon each other
suspicious. The first time I witnessed neighbours killing each other,
after having lived peacefully next to each other for decades, was in
Rwanda, when Hutu' and Tutsi's went for the machette and caused the
biggest genocide ever. The radio (the only form of media and
communication) put them to this behaviour!!! I was there...
In 2007, the media worldwide is busy with a campaign of misinformation
and fear for the other.... even for your own neighbour if he has a
different look or religion. Holland has fallen victim to this as well.
After the killing of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh, Holland is now (in)
a state where we DO look upon each other with suspicion. The media
emphasises extremism and shows only these excesses. Putting a general
label on complete groups of our society, although only caused by a
handfull.
And this happens on both sides. The urge to be "news" and get onces
ratings is the cause for showing only the extreme sides. There is no
objectivity anymore.
Powers behind the media are in charge and use the media for their own
agenda, as in Rwanda. Victimising the unwilling and innocent masses.
Let me remind you that progress/tolerance/understanding starts with ONE
thing: education and thus information. After all, we teach our
children in school. An open mind (like a child's) is willing to learn
anything and accept it as a truth to live by. We teach that open mind
that 2 plus 2 makes 4. He accepts, believes and lives according to that
knowledge. No longer will he accept that 2 plus 2 makes 6. Education
has closed that "open mind", as he knows better. Let the grown-ups of
this world be "educated" with the right information, objective, open
and honest. If the media puts the wrong idea into our open minds, what
will become of us. The media is playing a very dangerous role in our
todays society. Powerfull, reaching into every corner of our world, via
internet, satellite dish, etc. There is no escaping from it. Which is
no problem if that information is correct. If, TODAY, that information is "coloured"
and no longer honest, fair and open........we are on a wrong road.
No smiles, no personality, no flexibilty, no tolerance, no time.....NOT
my place to be.
I have spent the last 13 years living and working in countries where
-most of the time- I didn't speak the language. As a natural result I
approach people with a smile on my face. Hoping that they are willing
to listen and help me and allow some time to overcome the language
problem. That simple smile changes everything. People open up. Suddenly
have a little bit more time and accept that we are all different.
Bring the smile back into the western civilised world!! I missed it.
I happily returned to Turkey, to find Sylphe having survived the worst
storm in decades with NO damage. Only two hatch-covers disappeared. But
on the hard, complete boats were lifted off their cradle and tipped
over. It must have been something.
I will continue my varnishing of Sylphe ............and smiling.
AHOY,
Roland
www.sail-in-style.com