The Financial Times headlined Oct. 27 that the Netherlands may be the first country to hit its maximum economic growth. Writer Simon Kuper describes herein the examples using the lack of staff, too little land to live on, too many part-timers and our too high expectations.
Society is under pressure. Not only because of the crisis and high inflation, but also, perhaps even more so, because of the prosperity to which we have become so accustomed. So now the Netherlands is almost collapsing from its own success.
And that has been coming for some time. "Our country is full, partly overcrowded," Queen Juliana already spoke in 1950. She didn't mean that on the right, but realistically. Nowadays we live even with 507 people per square kilometer. Almost five times the average in Europe.
So a lot of people. But also a lot of animals. Destined for dairy and meat production. And of these, more than 1.5 million are slaughtered, per day(!). Now, the vast majority of that mass slaughter is for export, but even in the Netherlands we eat an average of about 39 kilograms of meat per person, per year. So animal suffering clearly does not make much of an impression in this regard.
Fortunately, the current crisis is also having a positive impact. Meat substitutes are now cheaper than meat. And that, in turn, is better for the environment as well as our health. Both big [costs](https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/economie/artikel/3703381/milieuvervuiling-kost-46-biljoen-jaar-en-eist-9-miljoen-levens#:~:text=Vervuiling also costs us money,even die from the consequences). and an enormous pressure on our society.
High inflation is also causing positive change in other areas. Now that gas has become more expensive, we are massively reducing consume. To such 25 percent (and that's even after correcting for hot weather). In fact, we started saving so much that the price of gas has now [dropped] again(https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/economie/artikel/5340654/gas-gasprijs-energierekening-energietarief-eneco-essent-vattenfall#:~:text=Dat de gasprijs daalt%2C heeft,en dan daalt de prijs.)!
So money pressure helps us make smarter choices in this case, too. Putting on a sweater, showering shorter and colder - which in turn is healthier for you, according to [research](https://www.gezondheidenwetenschap.be/gezondheid-in-de-media/is-elke-dag-koud-douchen-gezond#:~:text=Volgens an examination of it,experienced and less long lasting). from the Amsterdam UMC and others.
We meanwhile give less money spent to products, but all the more to services (hairdresser, restaurant, sports). We invest more in quality, rather than quantity, and that's good. Good because we already have too much. Were almost insatiable.
Spurred in part by all the rising costs, more and more of these items are finding their way to a second or third owner instead of just disappearing into the trash when we're done with them.
Therefore, a little crisis makes for more conscious choices, a little more realism. The footing on which too many people, lived too long is simply not sustainable.
17 Million people, on that very small piece of earth, they will have to live a little more consciously, otherwise we will not keep the country in its value. A little less meat, a little less consuming, a little less low-budget junk. A little better thought about how you spend your time and attention. A little crisis helps with that.
