For the general health of our society, we should all welcome – or at least come to terms with – the relative discomfort of taking nothing for granted and questioning everything.
Taken from art by Tijana Djapovic (c)
It is certainly more comfortable to go through life without asking questions. As the comedian Trae Crowder says in his show “Trash Daddy”:
I think it’d be great to be dumb… because dumb people are confident…. They don’t have existential crises, they don’t lie awake at night, staring at the ceiling thinking: “Am I blaming the Jews enough?” Dumb people don’t have doubt. Smart people are racked with doubt. Every day, smart people [are wondering]: “I think I’m going about this the right way, but what if I’m wrong though? What if there’s information I don’t yet have, what if there are factors I’ve not yet considered, what if I’m wrong about this?” …
Why you think [alcohol] is so popular with smart people? … Because [it’s] ‘liquid stupidity’… People call alcohol ‘liquid courage’: they try to act like it temporarily makes you confident. No, it temporarily makes you dumb, and confident is a side effect of dumb – that’s how it works. We’ve all experienced it: You go out one night you’re drinking… and you’re the life of the party, you’re killing it – in your head. [Then] you wake up the next morning [thinking]: “God, I’m such an… idiot! Why did I say all that dumb shit last night?” Well, imagine you never had to wake up that way, you never had to feel that shame. That’s what being dumb is.”
– Trae Crowder, stand-up comedy show “Trash Daddy”
And although we sometimes wish we could be dumb, and rid ourselves of doubt, it is this constant questioning—of ourselves, of others, of this world—that allows our evolution, both as a species and as individuals. Stability is sometimes necessary to strengthen us, but it does not move us forward.
Perhaps the goal is to move through life like a voyage by boat: after facing rough seas, we enjoy anchoring in a peaceful bay, or even spending some time on solid ground. But to keep the boat from deteriorating, and not to lose our reflexes, sooner or later we must set sail again. Going from island to island, meeting different people—family, lovers, friends, colleagues. Some for part of the journey, others just for a moment, others still for a lifetime.
But to breathe, to take in the most incredible landscapes, to discover our limits or become aware of our strengths, we must climb back on board again and again—sometimes despite ourselves. Little by little, we end up finding our own balance in the constant motion of the waves, the currents, the winds. We find our own rhythm, with others and without them. But we can never quite lower our guard or fully let go—lest we fall… into boredom.
(Title quote taken from Trae Crowder’s stand-up comedy show)
I recently went to see the play “Girls like that” – by British-Canadian playwright Evan Placey – which stirred up deep emotions in me. Through his characters, Placey dissects the devastating impact of a leaked naked photo on a group of teenage girls, within the broader context of the toxicity of patriarchy and the cruelty of modern cyberbullying. The skilful Belgian director France Bastoen turned this already truthfully harsh and well-constructed text into a hard-hitting play, which affected me particularly directly. As I mentioned in my post “Dripping water hollows out stone” (about mechanisms of victimisation) I was bullied by my classmates in school.
Having experienced systematic bullying from the ages of eight to fifteen, I applaud the way in which Placey managed to grasp teenage girl group dynamics, as well as their individual inner turmoils. Only one sentence in the play sounded more like wishful thinking than a genuine reaction in such situations: when confronting her bullies, the main character, Scarlett, tells them that they will never forget her, while she will go on to forget them. Based on my own experience, but also on numerous accounts of similar experiences by other adults, I can safely say that anyone who has truly been bullied during their childhood or adolescence never forgets this experience. This is not to say that they cannot outgrow it. Quite the contrary. They will often rise far above their bullies.
I dislike the expression: “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” because I feel that suffering can sometimes weaken you deeply. But in this particular case, I think it may apply. I would, however, add a caveat, namely that I doubt becoming stronger is caused by being bullied. Rather, I believe that truly original people or misfits have an innate strength that makes them a threat to flocks of sheep, or herds of any kind. That is precisely the element that causes them to become the targets of bullies. Some victims do end up being destroyed by the viciousness of group violence – whether verbal, psychological, or physical – over time. But those who are not often go on to be much more exceptional than any member of a flock.
“(In high school) they scare you into conforming (…) by saying if you’re a loser now, you’re going to be a loser forever. (…) They just beat it in your head as early as sixth grade: ‘Don’t fuck up, because if you do, you’re gonna die poor and lonely.’ And of course, it’s completely the opposite: all the dorks in high school go on to do great things.” – As Matt Stone in Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine“, 2002
Matt Stone being interviewed by Michael Moore in”Bowling For Columbine”, 2002
Although I am by no means an aggressive person, I could partially empathise with the two kids who shot their schoolmates at Columbine High School. Naturally, I don’t condone their crime in any way, but I do see how ostracised and bullied teenagers could be driven to that point of no return. The depth of wounds classmates can inflict upon their prey is often underestimated. I personally still bore the figurative scars twenty-five years later, as I was pregnant with my daughter. At the time, when thinking of what lessons I wanted to pass on to my unborn child, the first thing that came to mind was: she must never silently endure bullying! And that is how I came up with the idea for my children’s book “Leona, My New School” about a little girl who is bullied by her classmates.
Image taken from “Leona” written by me and illustrated by Tijana Djapovic (All rights reserved, 2017)
And, unlike me at the time, it only takes Leona one year to change schools and find happiness, rather than bearing metaphorical punches and literal humiliations on a daily basis for seven years. This children’s book is meant to spark conversations with five- to eight-year-olds about bullying, and it especially aims to reassure bullied kids that what they are experiencing is not their fault. The goal is to encourage them to fight or flee the situation. Either is fine, as long as they stop enduring the pain and save themselves.
There are many other examples in pop culture of kids who were bullied at school and carried this wound into adulthood. The legendary sitcom “Friends” springs to mind, with Monica as the former “fat chick”, still bearing the burden of her former degradations. But in one episode, there was also the character Susie Moss (played by Julia Roberts) who was humiliated by Chandler in high school and gets revenge on him twenty years later. Realising what is happening, he says, incredulously:
Chandler: “That was in fourth grade! How could you still be upset about that?” And having humiliated him back (at long last), she responds: Susie: “Call me in twenty years, and tell me if you’re still upset about this.” – Chandler and Susie in Friends S2E13, 1996
Julia Roberts and Matthew Perry in Friends episode “The One After the Superbowl”, 1996
There was also a notable interview between former US Secretary of Labour, Robert Reich, and Pod Save America host, and former speechwriter for Obama, Jon Lovett, who both recount their experiences of having been bullied at school. After having told his experiences of being held upside down over the toilet by taller boys as early as kindergarten, 79-year-old Reich asks 43-year-old Lovett if he, too, was bullied at school, to which Lovett replies:
“You bet!” – Jon Lovett, Pod Save America
To me, this was such a memorable reply, because it implied that any highly intelligent, slightly shorter than average boy would be bullied at school. These two men are both extremely successful today, and have received a great deal of recognition in their careers, and yet, they cannot speak of their formative years without mentioning being bullied.
Jon Lovett interviews Robert Reich on Pod Save America, 2025
Therefore, I don’t think that Placey’s Scarlett should have said that she would forget the people who bullied her – however much we would wish this to be true. What she could have promised them, though, is that she would outgrow them. And even that she would be happier than any of them. Because, as Elizabeth Bennet says to her sister in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”:
“I shall never be as happy as you till I have your goodness. I never shall; and, dear Jane, do not believe that every body is as good as you are” – Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”, 1813
And that is something I deeply believe. A person’s happiness can only grow with their kindness: happiness lives in the heart, and a truly big-hearted person cannot be a bully.
No one who is good, kind, and happy needs to harm others. Therefore, bullies and their herd of sheep can never be as happy as a former victim of bullying who has made their peace with their past. This means that the formerly bullied individual must have risen above the pain, and seen these bullies for who they are: mere mortals who know not what they do. For if they did, they could not live with themselves. We all know that there are innumerable bullies who are former victims of bullying. But none of them have made their peace with their past – and themselves – or they would not have to inflict on others what they themselves suffered.
This election poster reads “YOU are the majority” (Photo montage by René Maltête, 1987)
What is so hard about making your peace with having been bullied, is that it forces two very hard realisations. The first is that you were powerless in that situation, which is probably one of the hardest states to find yourself in as a human being: impotence. The second is that you were othered, pushed to the margins, which is also one of the most vulnerable positions to be in. And yet, it is possible to come back from both states. It is possible to see yourself as a worthy person again, and perhaps even embrace your estrangement from others.
Once you do, you start to see being “strange” as a strength. You can acknowledge the comfort members of a herd must feel, while rejoicing in not being one of them, but rather an individual who stands out in a crowd. So the very aspect of you that made you a target becomes your vessel to a different mindset and unique creations – freeing you from the shackles of your former state of impotence and humiliation.
“Raise Your Glass” by P!nk, 2010
This reminds me of P!nk‘s song “Raise Your Glass”:
“So raise your glass if you are wrong In all the right ways All my underdogs We will never be never be, anything but loud” – P!nk “Raise Your Glass”, 2010
Iraqi-American anthropologist and journalist, Louis Yako, spoke about the importance of strangers in these words:
“(We are taught) to avoid strangers, yet life teaches us that human awareness can only be born of the dagger of strangeness… that life is tasteless without mingling with strangers… that familiarity is opposed to life! Thus I loudly declare: A stranger I was born, a stranger I wish to remain! And I ask that you issue my death certificate the day I become familiar.” – Louis Yako’s “Cancer Everywhere”, 2025
And although it took me a decade after leaving that school to start embracing my “strangeness”, I finally did. So much so, that I was able to go back and face my past demons, look them in the eye, and realise that they still could not admit to who they once were, even when confronted with the truth as adults. They are not monsters, and most of them have gone on to lead pleasant lives. But they have not had to question themselves or their behaviour the way I did. They never had to leave the flock, explore broader horizons, or reach new heights. Which tells me that my experience did bring me further – not just than where I once was, but also than them. And it’s no thanks to them, but rather to my own otherness.
(Title quote taken from “Cancer Everywhere” by Louis Yako, 2025)
One year giving way to another is an obvious time to look back and reflect on what the past twelve months have brought us – both good and bad. As media and people around me are quick to point out, this year has seen a lot of bad, a lot of pain, suffering, and frightening escalation in international conflicts and various inequalities. Much of this is tied to the Large Orange Elephant in the Room. And it has been our great misfortune to realise the endless scale of this “room” he’s omnipresent in. One could say the whole world is his “playroom”. There are many reasons to speak about the disastrous, tragic, and appalling consequences of this mindless and despicable President’s actions. Democratic adviser Philippe Reines said:
And yet, precisely because the world feels so fragile, I want to begin the year on a different note. Thus, I have chosen this optimistic title quote, attributed to George Eliot, that I find fits my personal experience of the past year. Adelaide Anne Procter phrased it differently, and perhaps more poetically in her Legend of Provence:
“No star is ever lost we once have seen, We always may be what we might have been.” – Adelaide Anne Procter
Both quotes speak to me because 2025 has been a year of reconnecting with who I essentially am, and of unexpected encounters and achievements for me – ones that I didn’t even dare to hope for anymore.
This thought, that I may now (again) be coming into my own, takes me back to my blog post of February 2019I should have been a great many things, Mr Mayer(quoting Louisa May Alcott). At the time, I was reflecting on all the paths I could have chosen, but didn’t – all the selves I could have been, but wasn’t. I was deeply immersed in a feeling of missed opportunities and nostalgia for what might have been. What made me think of this is that I am now in the exact opposite situation. I feel that I am where I need to be. Or, in the words of someone I hold in high esteem:
“I feel more fully (and better) inhabited.” – Personal Source
This has happened like everything else in life does: as a chain reaction. One that I am trying to unravel. In creative writing, an often-used technique to decide what happens between the beginning and the end of a story is to start from the end and work your way backwards. This works because – in fiction and reality alike – each event that happens is the result of something prior, even unbeknownst to the characters, or to you. To trace back my present fortunes to their points of origin, I sat on a sunny terrace, overlooking the city I have grown to love, sipping a glass of wine while writing in my little notebook. It was somewhat like 19th Century author Hannah Crafts‘s texts, where idiosyncratic dashes seemed to be “sewing” her story together.
I was assembling pieces of my recent history, like pieces of a quilt. This task revealed one clear message: Whatever happens to us, we must learn, move forward, and love. Always.
“The best remedy for the mind’s turbulence is to learn. It is the one thing that never fails. You may grow old and tremble, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder in your veins, you may lose your one love and you may lose your money to a monster; you may watch the world around you laid waste by dangerous madmen, or know that your honour is being trampled in the sewers of the vilest minds — there is only one thing to do in such conditions: learn.” – Marguerite Yourcenar “Sources II”
Learning may not guarantee success, nor can it necessarily prevent future pain or failure, but it does ensure constant evolution, which is key to living a full life. And even when you think there is nothing to be learned, one lesson that is always valid is this famous idea from ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus:
“Change is the only constant in life.” – Heraclitus (paraphrased)
As long as you exist, think, and feel, you plant seeds. Every day. Some will grow, others won’t. But what I have seen is that, of all these seeds I planted over the last few years, some ended up growing in the most unexpected and wondrous ways.
Learning also means getting up again after each fall – regardless of the time it takes you. Because life will knock you down in countless ways. Still, just as people continue to breathe when they have little to live for, we must get up after each fall, if for no other reason than to satisfy our curiosity about what will come next.
Whilst trying to pinpoint one specific decision that led me to where I am today, I found that it had been the act of turning my back on jobs I was doing for acknowledgement, a fancy title, or a good paycheque. Bearing abusive behaviours by an erratic boss, or being surrounded by people I had little to do with, just made my reorientation easier. Since going back to writing creatively, sharing my work, attending workshops, meeting other creators, I have seen a gradual change in me. The light inside me seems to have come back. I have given a voice to parts of me that had been dormant for too long.
And thus, bit by bit, the bricks I once used to build walls – shielding me from the world – are now helping me build a new path ahead – reminiscent of the classic musical The Wizard of Oz.
“Follow the yellow brick road!” – The Munchkins in Victor Fleming’s “The Wizard of Oz”
Nonetheless, my road has been uneven, and it has not always been easy remaining positive. As I often tell my daughter, it’s easier – and sometimes justified – to be negative and defeatist, or blame others for one’s misfortunes. Trying to find the right path, applying for jobs in my forties, balancing getting back into shape with being a mom and a breadwinner, trying to be open to new relationships and connections, accepting the things I can’t change – including my many imperfections – none of it has been easy! Had I not fought to stay positive, I might have collapsed under the weight of my own unmet expectations.
And just like Dorothy, I couldn’t have gotten to where I am today if I had travelled this road alone. Learning from past mistakes, I steered clear of people who might see my guilelessness and enthusiasm as naivety or weakness. I most definitely chose my travelling companions wisely.
At long last, I started writing for myself, and not for an unknown audience or for some sort of recognition. I began communicating consciously, rather than just expressing myself. And I’ve been keeping my expectations in check. Not my hopes – just my expectations.
I have, in the process, found a true calling that I didn’t know I had, teaching curious and passionate young minds about the power of art and culture. I’m opening up to feelings I’d tucked away behind those invisible walls. For the first time in my life, words have poured out of me like ink, and they materialised as a play, just as Elizabeth Gilbert describes in Big Magic (see TED Talk, below).
“Creative living is a path for the brave. (…) If I want creativity in my life – and I do – I will have to make space for fear, too. (…) I am who I am today, precisely because of what I have made and what it has made me into.“ – Elizabeth Gilbert “Big Magic”
Just like that, 110 pages worth of words traversed me, and came out of my fingertips. And when the opportunity arose to have it read by professional actors, I seized it – even though the play wasn’t ready. Because Why not?! What did I have to lose? Never before would I have dared to share an early draft with people who could tell it wasn’t fully baked. This exercise was very uncomfortable, but it propelled me forward by months. And this year, I took every chance I got to have my work published and read, even though I know authors who might have written those texts far better than I could.
Likewise, when I started teaching my course to students, I compared myself with my co-professor, whose experience far surpasses mine, and whose smooth style differs from mine in many ways. And then I stopped comparing us. Because all that I may learn from him can be learned without comparing us.
As simplistic as it may sound: I am me. And a big part of how I got here has been based on learning without comparing myself to others, choosing whom to trust, accepting who I am, and going towards risks that I have deemed worth taking. Today, I am at home within myself and in my life. Surely enough, further changes will come about – both good and bad. Because such is life. And that is why I am making sure I enjoy all the good things I sometimes doubted I would have (again).
My final note here is inspired by my youthful days, working on the stage musical Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’. The main character, Pink, spends the entire story building emotional walls to protect himself – from trauma, loss, fame, and isolation. Then, at the end, he reaches a breaking point, his psychological defences fail, and he is finally exposed. The Wall is destroyed, and all who were trying to help Pink all along – whom he could only see through the filter of his giant wall of fear and mistrust – can be seen for who they are. And he can finally be who he is. The lesson being that only baring yourself guarantees the possibility of connection and growth. And that is one that speaks to me.
(The Judge:) “Since my friend you have revealed your deepest fear I sentence you to be exposed before your peers. Tear down the wall, tear down the wall, tear down the wall!”
(The wall collapses. Pink is exposed.) (Narrator:)
“All alone or in twos The ones who really love you Walk up and down outside the wall Some hand-in-hand And some gathered together in bands The bleeding hearts and the artists make their stand And when they’ve given you their all Some stagger and fall, after all it’s not easy Banging your heart against some mad bugger’s wall” – Pink Floyd (Roger Waters), “The Wall”
It may be harder to live without those big sheltering walls around you, but I have found it more rewarding and real. The world would certainly be much more peaceful if the people in charge of it dared to live with their fears. But since I can’t change them, I’m glad I’ve managed to change myself at least.
Last night, I reflected upon an email I sent to the Master’s Course Director, who gave me an exciting new opportunity to teach a course on “Art and Culture for Change”, thanking her. Why this impulse, this need to share my joy of the moment or to express my gratitude toward her? While it’s in my nature to share my joys and sorrows, I’ve also made a habit of telling people the good I think of them. Because I don’t think we do it enough.
Taken from art by Tijana Djapovic (c)
There is, of course, that tendency to shower each other with: “I appreciate you, I value you, I see you.” But it often sounds like copy-pasting. It’s “ready-to-speak,” mass language.
In that same vein of ready-made phrases, there’s the famous “practice gratitude!” which irritated me until recently. This injunction rings false when you’re not doing well, and it annoyed me more than anything when nothing I undertook seemed to work. The bad people around me seemed to be succeeding, while I was struggling without seeing any result from my tenacity. Yet, I was supposed to “be grateful!” For what, exactly?
In Croatian, we say that as long as everything is going well, you have a thousand worries, whereas when something serious happens to you, you only have one. So, we should remember that we are lucky to have a thousand worries. And that is true. But…
But where I had neither the desire nor the capacity to be truly grateful while I was tirelessly fighting, now, my “thank yous” are generously—and also conscientiously—distributed. Why?
Because, without everything being exactly as I would like, a multitude of buds are now blooming. This follows two years of incessant sowing that often seemed futile. Because, after facing malicious or disrespectful people, the benevolent individuals shine in contrast. And I feel the need to let them know. Also knowing that “the kind ones” are often no strangers to slaps and setbacks. They, therefore, truly need to hear that they are appreciated, valued, seen.
And so, without having repeated any mantra like “Be grateful!”, it turns out that I am. Not because a self-help book prescribed it to me, but because it became obvious.
There is no moral to this story, except that there is no universal recipe, nor are the consequences always predictable. And while it is necessary to remain active to ensure some form of evolution, forcing things does not always bring the desired results. But we must move forward, because something new will eventually arise. Always.
As French reggae singer Tonton David once sang: “Chacun sa route, chacun son chemin.” (“Everyone their own road, everyone their own path”.)
(Title quote taken from “Winnie-the-Pooh” by A. A. Milne)
Over the last two decades of my career, I’ve noticed some trends in our society that have only recently gained media attention. Namely, a focus on overspecialisation at the detriment of a broader vision, and a push for hyperproductivity at the expense of reflection and contextualisation. As the labour market’s requirements have always been reflected in our education system, which has served to feed the market what it needs, I see this mindset seeping all the way down to our schools and universities.
Before addressing how these trends impact our education system, let’s further clarify what they are. For the past quarter century, I have done all sorts of jobs, ranging from waitressing to running a cultural non-profit organisation, and from coordinating public policy teams in an American multinational to teaching kindergarteners English as a foreign language. My friends sometimes joke that it would be quicker to list the jobs I haven’t done, rather than those I have done. And over all these years of experience, whether as an employee or a freelancer, I have seen some common points across all types of organisations. When I entered the job market, the norm was for individuals to stay with one company over extended periods of time. This has drastically changed.
The explanation that is often given for young people becoming increasingly mobile in the labour market is that millennials and Gen Z prioritise a better work-life balance, flexibility, and a sense of purpose. I often hear older people criticising them for being spoilt, fickle, or unwilling to sacrifice for a pay cheque. But there is another way to look at this “job hopping”. Even though this is partially a choice for zoomers, it is not the whole truth about their situation. They are, of course, motivated by a desire to gain diverse experiences, acquire new skills, and increase their pay. However, the other side of the story is that their mobility also results from employers setting unrealistic expectations for their employees, which makes it difficult to stay long in one company.
MrPratikThakkerraises several points regarding quick turnover in the workplace
Squeezed Like A Lemon
It is also true that employers regularly have young potential employees jump through hoops before hiring them, as a way to sift through the hundreds of job applicants for every qualified opening. Then, once they are hired – at a meagre salary for the required involvement – they are expected to be flexible with their schedule, so that they can work evenings and weekends, be constantly available via several communication channels, and prove their passion for their work by prioritising it above all else. Not to mention the sometimes subtle – and sometimes explicit – threats to fire them if they don’t do everything that is requested, since dozens of applicants “would be happy to take their place”.
Over time, being told that they can easily be discarded gives these young employees the justified feeling that their employer doesn’t care about their well-being. Rather, what matters is only their consistent productivity, reaching constantly rising KPIs, and living with impending burn-out because competence is met with an ever-increasing workload. As comedian Masood Boomgaard, a.k.a. “Self-help Singh” says in one of his parodies of inspirational videos:
“Your boss is not your friend, your company is not your family. (…) Your boss doesn’t care about you, (…) but only about making ‘the money’.”
These employer-employee dynamics don’t foster loyalty to the company.
Self-Help Singh reminds us not to confuse our boss with a friend, nor our company with a family
Productivity Above Context
I’ve also noticed that, while companies are being absorbed by large conglomerates, and as our focus has shifted towards a North American model of speedy productivity above all else, what we have lost is contextualisation, which is defined as:
“The fact or process of considering something in its context (= the situation within which it exists or happens), which can help in understanding it.”
This is an absolutely essential element of a successful long-term strategy. But all the concrete goals that are being set by companies are short-term: KPIs (key performance indicators) focus on very narrow and measurable targets, strategies have to show immediate results or benefits to prove they are worth implementing and scaling.
The danger with this approach is that we seek the highest performers for each required role without looking at the bigger picture – which inevitably leads to wasted opportunities, lower creativity, and a lack of innovative findings. Why? Because a broader vision, seeing cross-pollination and collaboration opportunities, and effective communication across silos, is what can lead to true innovation and successful long-term solutions. Ultimately, overarching and thoughtful communication can only exist in an environment that breaks down barriers and gives greater freedom to its employees. Freedom within a structured environment, with a shared purpose.
Internationally renowned scientist François Taddei once told me the Indian parable of the blind men and an elephant. It is a story of a group of blind men who have never come across an elephant before, and who imagine what the elephant is like by touching it. Each blind man feels a different part of the animal’s body, such as the trunk, a leg, the tail, etc. They each describe the animal based on their limited experience and their descriptions differ from each other. The moral of the parable is that humans have a tendency to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people’s limited, subjective experiences.
A brief recounting of the parable of The Blond Men And The Elephant
Taddei mentioned this to illustrate why he co-founded the Learning Planet Institute in Paris (formerly Center for Research & Interdisciplinarity), which aims to train the next generation of scientists working at a crossroads between life sciences, education, and digital technologies. They are convinced that it is not only necessary but also possible to adopt a new and unique approach to education through research. Over time, in order to increase its impact, and to respond to the global challenges identified by the Sustainable Development Goals, the CRI became the Learning Planet Institute, with a renewed ambition to co-create a learning society, capable of tackling the complex challenges we face today and in the future.
Peter Principle
The Learning Planet Institute’s interdisciplinary approach, placing emphasis on collective intelligence and communication across silos, is in many ways the opposite of the dominant system. Young people are still being encouraged to stay in one lane – which becomes narrower with each step in their professional specialisation. Although masters of their craft are necessary in the workplace, so are jacks of all trades – just as we need surgeons, but also general practitioners or homeopaths, who will look at the body as a whole rather than the sum of its pieces. In the absence of cross-silo communication or a “generalist” approach, constant specialisation in ever-narrower fields leads to the Peter Principle‘s cul-de-sac.
“White Collar” Vs. “Blue Collar”
This mindset of encouraging overspecialisation applies to high school pupils and university students as well. Very early on, classes are being divided between students who choose a “serious” work path, i.e. hard science (encompassing anything from physics to medicine and technology), and those who opt for a “dilettante” road, meaning anything to do with social science, languages, or the arts. The latter are sometime lumped together with vocational education students, which creates a class divide as early as high school. A trend which continues throughout university studies.
In today’s work sphere, a Bachelor’s degree is barely considered as a university degree anymore, as students are encouraged to accumulate multiple Master’s degrees – only to find themselves unemployable. Data shows that highly specialised white collar jobs are harder to come by without a professional network, that needs to be constantly tended to, while skilled tradespeople are always needed. There is a recognised shortage of skilled workers in various trades, such as electricians, plumbers, construction workers. The need for these roles is constant and not as tied to global economic fluctuations as white-collar sectors. This further shows that pushing young people to overspecialise for white-collar positions may be equally detrimental to the individuals and the market.
Trust Over Performance
Simon Sinek addresses how trust is a more valuable element to a team than performance
Another issue with focussing primarily on results and high performance was addressed by author and inspirational speaker on business leadership, Simon Sinek. He showed how a Navy SEAL Team chooses its members, prioritising trust over raw performance. In their careful selection of teammates, they value high trustworthiness – even if the performance is only average – over a high performer who lacks trust. The point he is making is that celebrating “hard skills” over generally undervalued “soft skills” can actually be harmful to a team’s overall success and cohesion.
Trust requires communicating openly and developing functional communication channels across departments or teams. Meanwhile, our current productivity model emphasises external communication to sell products or services for fast gain. And yet, the biggest problems that arise have to do with lack of effective internal communication, which is disregarded by most CEOs and managers. And developing internal communication strategies means hiring competent multidisciplinarians with a holistic view.
A Vision For The Future
This role implies having empathy, curiosity, and an understanding of all parts of any given organisation. It also requires a long-term vision, which goes beyond earning shareholders fast benefits. This involves developing skills and personality traits that are in direct opposition to the current model. These include selflessness, thinking of what’s best for the group, being adaptable and flexible in the face of uncertain political and economic dynamics.
François Taddei talks about learning how to learn, learning to be the best versions of yourself for the world
Where more and more people are turning to holistic practitioners for their health, I believe it is high time to apply this perspective in our classrooms and offices. What new generations should be learning is first and foremost how to learn. The future is unpredictable, and therefore our system can no longer train its children for the jobs of tomorrow – since we don’t know what these jobs will be. Likewise, a competitive approach with a pyramid model, where all strive to become “the best,” seems like it will be obsolete in tomorrow’s world. As François Taddei rightfully points out:
“We need to change the education paradigm. Instead of competing on yesterday’s knowledge on topics they have not chosen, learners have to move to cooperate on the issues that are the most relevant and meaningful to them in order to build the future.”
Joan Osborne’s haunting “Saint Teresa” gave me a line that has resonated for decades: “Every stone a story like a rosary.” I first heard this song while spending a summer in the United States in 1995, and I’ve often remembered these words since then.
For me, this beautifully worded phrase captures how each element, each prayer, each individual, is a complete entity, but also an irreplaceable piece of a larger, interconnected whole. It’s a truth that feels particularly vital now, as we navigate a world where AI-driven noise floods our social media, and escalating global conflicts, like the recent US attacks on Yemen and Iran, threaten to overwhelm us. Despite these currents, I want to focus on how individuals still have a crucial part to play in the broader march of time.
An Entire World Within A Vast Universe
As the Talmudic dictum goes:
“Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if s/he saved an entire world.” – Talmudic dictum
And just as we can each be viewed as an entire world unto ourselves, we must find a delicate balance where we can respect both ourselves and the greater whole that we are a part of. While it’s sometimes wise to set aside personal preferences for the group, we must also, at times, lead by example to build bridges rather than walls.
I firmly believe that we cannot lead truly fulfilling lives without genuine connection to others. And thus, as I mentioned in my previous post about moral values, each of us has a duty to act in accordance with a moral compass. In times like these, this certainly requires a quality which is often mentioned across liberal media, namely courage. We would all like to think ourselves courageous, but as history has taught us, not all of us are. Many are followers. Despite our best intentions, it’s natural not to want to stand out too much, run the risk of being criticised, or worse, ostracised. Especially since, without a broad temporal setting, you never know whether or not you should trust your instinct that you are on the right side of history.
In The Right Place
This quote, that has been circulated a lot of late, encourages us to stand by our convictions:
“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” – Attributed to Abraham Lincoln
However, it makes matters difficult that what constitutes “the right place” shifts over time. The concept of Human Rights, for instance, barely existed for most of human history. Therefore, all we can do is rely on our conscience, hoping we’re not entirely off course. Even then, swimming against the current, while perhaps celebrated in hindsight, is both difficult and ungratifying in the moment.
As I experienced a long time ago, while lifting yourself above the crowd offers more breathing room and sunlight, it also makes you a more visible, and thus easier, target. Belonging to a herd, on the other hand, offers safety, comfort, and ease – no need to define your own rules, make tough decisions, or even fully face consequences, as long as you adhere to the group’s chosen role.
Courage And Fear
The flip side of this is that you have less freedom of expression, of being who you genuinely are, and you don’t necessarily get to follow your own values. In the current political context, this reminds me of a famous picture of the lone man who refused to do the Nazi salute in 1936 Germany, while standing in a crowd of Nazi enthusiasts. When seeing this photo again at the “Topography of Terror” history museum in Berlin, it struck me how deeply he must have been convinced that he was in the right to do this. It is easy for us to look at it now and praise his courage, believing we would have done the same. But history suggests that most people conform out of necessity or fear.
Picture of people giving a Nazi salute, with an unidentified person (possibly August Landmesser or Gustav Wegert) refusing to do so.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the willingness to act despite your fear.”
This willingness is often tied to family or faith. I noticed this as I became a mother: where we might accept injustice or unfairness for fear of reprisal as long as we only have ourselves to look after, when we feel directly responsible for another human being, we will rise above our concerns for our own health and safety to safeguard those of another. Faith is somewhat different in that it seems to surpass the physical world and our earthbound life, and thus, people like Joan of Arc have been willing to sacrifice their own bodies for what they perceived to be something greater than themselves, or indeed humanity.
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Papuszakri Gili (Papusza’s Song), 2024, textile, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and the Foksal Gallery Foundation, Warsaw. Photo: Marek Gardulski.
Mirga-Tas is a remarkable woman who defies conventions, and she felt the need and made the choice to, in turn, pay tribute to another such artist, Papusza. The latter led a singular life and suffered the consequences of going against the tide. Papusza’s contribution to the demystification of Roma was crucial, but she was banished from her community for it, while being instrumentalised outside her community as a token poster child. She suffered greatly for having lived authentically. However, this light she carried within came to influence others who cannot stand being confined to a proverbial box.
Building Bridges
And this is what I want to celebrate here: the fact of taking action to contribute to a better world, which necessarily entails connecting with others around us. As my dear friend Sarah Barbieux, a Romani artist and activist, told me many years ago:
“In order to last, bridges need to be built from both banks.” – Sarah Barbieux
To me, this also means that rather than judge people who disagree with us, it is both wiser and more gratifying to seek a path towards connecting, and hopefully even understanding them. This was perfectly summed up in this quote I recently stumbled upon:
“The greatest distance between two people is misunderstanding.” – Anonymous
With that in mind, I feel the need to take concrete action towards building a bridge for people who have closed themselves off to anyone who disagrees with them. Their comfortable position has been exploited and amplified by Big Tech, whose algorithms further drag us all into wells of conformity, surrounded only by those who resemble us.
So far, life has taught me that this approach of welcoming only opinions that validate your own is damaging to one’s wisdom, improvement and, at the end of the day, worthwhile bonds with others. Where there are no challenges, there can be no growth. This is not only true in the sense of intellectual or rational development, but also in our personal relationships. I have learned so much from people whose beliefs I do not share, and I now seek to pursue relationships with persons whose depths are not ostentatiously exposed, but rather require patience and trust to discover.
Being comfortable is pleasant indeed, and life is also meant to be enjoyed in its moments of reprieve from struggles. But in the long run, the most fulfilling experiences are those that push us to tap into our courage and selflessness.
Echoes Of Idealism
This approach motivated me to dust off a project that I had left on a shelf for a long time, because of the challenges it presents. Over a decade ago, I had taken it upon myself to tell the story of a family of exceptional activists through a three-part documentary, entitled: “Echoes of Idealism, Maury and Sally’s ripple of positive action”. The term “idealism” here is used as:
“The belief that your ideals can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to others.”
Maury and Sally Fox’s family includes many individuals who, though not widely famous outside of specific circles, deserve to be celebrated because they are prime examples of the positive impact each of us can have if we follow our moral compass. They have shown courage and a willingness to act at an individual level for the bettering of society. If I had to translate this into an image, it would be that of a candle whose flame lights the next, and so on and so forth, thereby spreading light in an otherwise dark space.
In these times of glorifying lone superheroes or mass movements, I am seeking to celebrate individuals who fall into neither category. Those who take concrete and discrete action with no expectation of any reward, just because they believe something has to be done to improve the situation. And rather than wait for the solution to come from others, Maury and Sally’s circle went ahead and took action. The brilliant and humble Maury Fox, a pioneering geneticist and molecular biologist, used his knowledge, network, and strong moral code to further the social responsibility of scientists and ethical policymaking in science. Likewise, his wife, Sally Fox Cherniavsky, a trailblazing photographer, editor, and art historian, used her influence and access to countless works of art to challenge the visual history of women and provide a more accurate representation of their lives across different eras.
Lightbearers In The Dark
These two lightbearers, central to my story, demonstrated that by simply acting according to their values, their light illuminated others. Likewise, others before them ignited this flame in them, including Maury’s mentor, the renowned scientist Leo Szilard, who not only developed the idea of the nuclear chain reaction, but later also fervently advocated for atomic energy control. And thus, through a tapestry of intertwined stories, “Echoes of Idealism” will show how light is passed on and spreads.
In order to discover the pieces of this puzzle I am compiling to tell the untold stories of influential lightbearers of 20th Century America, you will need to wait a little longer…
In the meantime, what I wish to convey here is that the time has come yet again to go beyond expressing your convictions in private, or safely hiding behind your screens. Each of us must now meet polarising discourse with self-reflection, active listening, understanding, and individual concrete action. So that we may each play our part, not just as individuals but as members of a wider entity.
Each of us can be a lightbearer. Just as every stone on a rosary tells its own story, while being an irreplaceable part of a larger, interconnected whole.
(Title quote taken from “St. Teresa”, Joan Osborne)
Early on in life, I became aware that each and every one of us has the power to change things for the better. Not all things, but some things. And by my teens, I felt that this was our duty as members of a human society. My absolute hero then wasn’t some rock star but Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the leader of the French student uprising in May 1968, which turned into one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Even after getting a degree in political science, rather than expecting politicians or “the system” to fix what is broken, I had the deep conviction that what mattered was taking responsibility and action at an individual level.
Like Senator Corey Booker, who recently held a record-breaking speech on the US Senate floor for over 25 hours to protest Trump’s regime, I believe that each of us has a duty to act when faced with what is morally wrong. And just liking or sharing posts in a virtual environment, where every piece of news has a life span of about an hour, is just not enough. Concrete actions are far less ephemeral and require an essential personal commitment and responsibility.
Taken from art by Tijana Djapovic (c)
Meanwhile, in Southeast Europe
While Trump’s mob has been “flooding the zone” in the United States and across all media worldwide, throughout Serbia students have been marching in mass anti-corruption protests for the past six months. Like many Americans today, most Serbs felt helpless in the face of a populist president – in their case, Vučić – on the way to becoming a dictator. But they got organised and decided to stand up collectively and democratically against the rampant corruption in the country, which is powered by the government. Soon enough, they were joined by seniors, agricultural workers, and by all layers of society. Throughout it all, the marches have remained consistently peaceful, despite all efforts by President Vučić to crush them, and despite the widespread international indifference.
This could have been a great source of inspiration for Americans who are adamant about democracy. The Serbian students have chosen not to have one leader or spokesperson, but to take turns in a truly democratic manner, to avoid any one voice being heard above others.
Serbia anti-government protests, The Telegraph, 2025
Playing defense
Considering the Americans’ longstanding fervour for their individual rights and freedoms, the popular reaction we saw in the US until March was comparatively underwhelming in the face of the new dictatorial regime’s rampage. That was until Sen. Corey Booker spoke the words titled in this article, as part of his inspiring speech on the Senate floor one month ago. The very subject of fundamental moral values, of right vs. wrong, had been on my mind ever since Trump and his administration started wreaking havoc on the government and the people of the United States. Not to mention the rest of the world.
Like Booker, I believe that the main issue now is no longer one of politics or sides. It is one of core values and ethics. Whether in the United States, Palestine, Ukraine, Serbia, or anywhere else. The question is: are you in favour of Human Rights, justice, fairness, or are you guided by individual power, greed, hate? One requires courage, while the other implies giving in to your fears.
Sen. Corey Booker’s Senate floor speech, Brian Taylor Cohen’s commentary, 2025
In my recent article about the current nostalgia “for the good old days,” I mentioned this clash between the people ready for us to move forward as a society into the unknown, and those who are desperately trying to get back to the old system, based on deep-seated inequalities. And yet, in the face of the proverbial tornado the new US President’s mob set in motion, liberals were watching the news in daily disbelief, waiting for their elected officials to do something – anything. But apart from a few exceptions like Congressman Al Green, elected Democrats were mostly dumbfounded, seemingly unable to slow down Trump, Musk, and their sycophants.
The times they are a-changin’
Since Corey Booker’s speech though, there has finally been some reason for hope. We witnessed Democrats win in the Wisconsin elections and growing popular uprising throughout the United States. Protesters have been mobilising, first with the “Hands Off” protests, then under the banner of 50501 for “Fifty states, fifty protests, one movement”. As for elected officials, the “Fighting Oligarchy” rallies led by Bernie Sanders and AOC have been gathering huge crowds.
Sleeping Beauty is waking up at last, not after true love’s kiss, but rather after one too many punches in the face by the Orange Vilain. After the long dead silence, there is a growing fear in the opposition that soon enough, they will be held accountable for not standing up to Trump when it really mattered. The ripple effect is noticeable: Sen. Chris Van Hollen travelled to El Salvador, Governor JB Pritzker (see video below) is calling on all Democrats to be courageous, and Sen. Chris Murphy qualifies this situation as an emergency for the country, to name but these.
Gov. JB Pritzker’s speech, CBS News Chicago, 2025
The driving message has been used in every war to mobilise the general public: it is up to the people to rise and act! However active some prosecutors and judges have been in trying to stop Trump, waiting for courts or elected officials to make everything right again is not going to do the trick. Every person must take responsibility.
In the same vein, Pritzker said to New Hampshire Democrats:
“It’s time to fight everywhere and all at once. (…) Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now. (…) These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They must understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have.”
Today’s champions of democracy, namely the independent media, have tirelessly been repeating that now is the time to act. The admirable team of Pod Save America, the passionate Meiselas brothers of the Meidas Touch, the well-established Democracy Now!, and columnists like Ezra Klein, David Pakman, and Brian Tyler Cohen have been sounding the alarm over and over again. And yet, despite all the attacks on justice, freedom, and the foundations of American democracy, Trump still has a 41% approval rating. Although it is the lowest on record for any US president’s 100-day mark, it still seems far too high considering his abysmal level of competence and his disastrous presidential decrees.
“The Crisis Is Now”, The Ezra Klein Show, 2025
Somehow, many people who voted for him still believe that they will not be impacted negatively by his self-serving thoughtless policies. This reminds me of Pastor Martin Niemöller’s poem “First They Came”, written in 1946.
First They Came
First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me.
Just as no German could convincingly argue that they didn’t know what to expect from Hitler, even though all his plans had been laid out in “Mein Kampf” (“My Struggle”), anyone who is surprised by Trump’s actions can only plead stupidity at this point.
Liberal media have compared him to a king, but today’s kings are not all-powerful like Trump aims to be. What he wants to see himself as is an emperor, not unlike the one in the folktale “The Emperor’s New Clothes“. And the Conservatives are the people of the tale who didn’t refute the naked emperor was wearing clothes for fear of reprisal.
In 2015, The Daily Show host Trevor Noah also compared Trump to several African dictatorial presidents. The resemblance in behaviours is striking – and much funnier in the sketch than in reality.
“Donald Trump, America’s first African President”, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, 2015
The time is right
The bubble we have been living in has been due to burst for some time. The consistent and gradual shift to the right of our Western societies is a clear reaction to the way corporations have been gaining power, to the growing pay gap between the top- and bottom-level company employees, and to shareholders getting rewarded at the detriment of workers and social services. Young people no longer believe they will ever be able to retire, or own a home. Profit trumps the environment, shareholders trump workers, Big Tech companies trump trustworthy news sources, social media trump education, and the list goes on. This steady polarisation of our societies has been happening for over forty years, to the joy of billionaires and conservatives.
Trump is only the consequence of a multi-decades-long trampling of individual rights and opportunities for regular people, for the majority. But perhaps what we needed was a chaosmonger like him to push others to react. Former Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien, who is remembered for having refused to send Canadian troops in George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq, recently joked:
“(As) proud Canadians (…) we owe a debt of recognition to Mr Trump: he has united us as never before. So I want to say “Thank you” to him.”
Europe, Canada, and Mexico are finally turning to each other and uniting against this common foe. They are also turning to China and India. Likewise, Americans may now be on their way to finding a new leader who will be willing to speak up not just against the current President, but also against this whole system.
Mark Carney’s victory speech, as he wins the national election in Canada, DW News, 2025
That time is now. There is indeed such a thing as right and wrong, which goes beyond opinions and preferences. And what we have been accepting for decades is absolutely wrong. In the absence of a strong Left to fight for the people, many have unfortunately turned to Far-Right leaders who offer simple solutions to complex problems. They find a person or a group to blame for all the injustice and unfairness, just as the Nazis did. Thus, the disillusioned population chooses this over Democrats, who speak of democracy and justice but have been playing defence rather than offense since the eighties.
Good Trouble
It is time for the people to take power into their own hands. If Serbs can do it, all Europeans and Americans can, too. We who remember a time when our societies favoured the greatest number instead of the greatest wealths, should do something. In his introduction, Corey Booker said:
“This is the time to get in some good trouble, to get into necessary trouble. I can’t allow this body to continue without doing something different – speaking out. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent. And we all must do more. (…)
“If it is to be, it is up to me.” All of us have to think of those 10 words (…) Because I believe generations from now will look back at this moment and have a single question: “Where were you when our country was in crisis and when American people were asking for help?”
I am feeling equally scared and hopeful now. As tensions are rising while more lunatic men such as Trump, Orban, Putin, Erdogan, Xi, Kim, run their countries like cults, I am finally seeing young people get involved in politics again. As the famous phrase goes: “If you don’t do politics, politics will do you”, a paraphrasing of the 19th C. French quote:
“You may not care about politics, but politics still cares about you.”
Each of us must play our part. Mine is making a documentary entitled “Echoes of Idealism, Maury and Sally’s ripple of positive action”. I will write more about this project and the two admirable individuals it revolves around in my next post. In short, it is about people who refused to retreat into submission. It is about idealism.
Definition of Idealism: The belief that your ideals can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to others.
Spring is here! And that is always a good reason to hope and rise up. What we are seeing take shape amid all the hateful and destructive discourse, is a new force for positive change. Perhaps the times, again, they are a-changin’…
Lately, I’ve been shaking my head in disbelief at the unfathomable mess made on a global scale by these powerful hatemongers, to better divide and reign over us. I cringe whenever I hear of any new development, each more disheartening than the last. And yet, I feel that it’s my duty to remain informed. So what can one do in this situation? Why, laugh about the absurdity of it all of course!
In an increasingly complex and anxiety-inducing world, it would indeed be easy to succumb to apathy and sink into depression. News of natural disasters, wars, and the rise of the right and far-right can be paralysing. But there is another way to see things. The American psychologist and sociologist Paul Watzlawick wrote a book titled “The Situation Is Hopeless, But Not Serious.” I particularly like this title because it is precisely in times like these that we discover the importance and power of humour. As I mentioned in a previous post about the recent US presidential election, the young American gun control activist, David Hogg, said on The Daily Show“There’s so much negativity and vitriol in the media constantly, it’s hard to watch. And when it feels like you’re constantly being told the world is on fire, but you still need to be informed, watching things like The Daily Show … and John Oliver … gave me a completely different perspective on how hilariously corrupt a lot of these different state legislatures and politicians are…”
The immense popularity of shows delivering news through humour reveals the public’s need to laugh in order to digest the overwhelmingly negative messages we’re getting every day. This is as true in North America as it is in Europe. If the British tell the news through the filter of their sarcastic humour with Have I Got News For You (BBC), the French Les Guignols de l’info (Canal+) played this role for several decades in European francophone countries. And today, a creative and diverse new generation of young comedians with sharp political and societal critiques is rising on social media, where they find a platform and an audience to challenge the system we live in, while contributing to our psychological well-being.
Have I Got News For You (BBC)
A Laugh A Day Keeps the Doctor Away
Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated the benefits of laughter on our mental and physical health. It stimulates the production of endorphins and reduces cortisol, making it a powerful anti-stress tool. We have all heard of laughter therapies, laughter yoga, or clowns visiting sick children in hospitals. As stated by the organisation Le Rire Médecin (Laughing Doctors) on their website:
“Researchers conclude that, in the context of care support, the action of clowns helps reduce children’s anxiety, and for children suffering from cancer, it helps reduce fatigue, pain, and stress.”
It is therefore not surprising that we turn to humour in order to cope with increasingly distressing economic and political realities.
I recently attended a talk given by talented comedian-director Jean-Pascal Zadi, who said that, people increasingly turn to comedies and want to laugh due to the spread of negative and stressful news we can all notice. According to him,
“The more dramatic a situation, the funnier the way you tell it has to be.”
– Taken from a masterclass given in Brussels by Zadi in December 2024
One can, of course, question the real usefulness of humour from a global perspective, as it doesn’t directly solve problems that concern us. However, its unifying power and popularity make it an antidote to apathy.
Just like music, humour reaches a much broader audience than so-called serious intermediaries. An excellent example of this is Charlie Chaplin, who created his satirical masterpiece “The Great Dictator,” before World War II. In it, he portrayed a head of state modelled on Hitler. The film’s release in the United States in 1941 helped mobilise North American public opinion in favour of entering the war alongside European democracies. This is far from being an isolated case of the impact that comedians can have on society.
Charlie Chaplin’s “Great Dictator”
Sad Clowns
Paradoxically, those who make us laugh the most often suffer from depression. Yet, even in this aspect, we can see the positive role of laughter. When speaking about Robin Williams, comedian Howie Mandel said:
He went on to explain that true humour comes from darkness, and laughter is the bridge to survival. The sad clown paradox, studied in psychology, takes its name from this archetype, as old as the character of Pedrolino in the Commedia dell’arte, a mischievous and honest valet who often cried. Although laughter cannot erase the woes of these individuals, expressing their dark vision of the world through jokes makes humour a powerful tool for social connection.
And the same goes for populations experiencing collective tragedies, such as war. Throughout the siege of Sarajevo (1992-96), during the Balkan War, humour was one of the only things that helped the local population to endure the horrors they faced daily. At the time, our Bosnian friends told us morbid jokes they were sharing back home, even as bombs fell and snipers shot at them. The darker the jokes, the more they laughed. During that same war, English satirist Ian Hislop congratulated the founders of the Croatian political satire newspaper Feral Tribune for their courage, to which one of them replied:
“I don’t care if you think I’m brave! Am I funny?”
– Ian Hislop quoting one of Feral Tribune’s founders on the podcast “The Problem with Jon Stewart“ (see below)
“The Problem with Jon Stewart” with Ian Hislop
Dissidence and Freedom
Whether in times of war or peace, this dark humour that countered bombs with laughter was typical of communist countries, especially those under the Soviet regime. There is even a Russian term, “anekdot,” meaning “a socio-political joke, initially transmitted by word of mouth to circumvent censorship… It is part of the folklore of the USSR and other countries that experienced the same political system.” We particularly see the power of humour as a tool of dissidence and free expression under repressive regimes. Whether written texts, caricatures, or spoken texts, any form of satire or derision has always disturbed dictators.
Under every totalitarian regime, laughter could become an act of resistance, allowing individuals to reclaim their history. The writer Romain Gary said:
“Humour is the weapon of the unarmed.”
– Romain Gary in an interview on Radio-Canada
It reverses roles by turning the oppressors into the target of mockery, thereby reducing their hold on the oppressed. This is why leaders such as Donald Trump or personalities like Elon Musk are well-known antagonists to comedians caricaturing or criticising them, be it Jimmy Kimmel or the performers on Saturday Night Live.
Today, even as we worry about globalisation and its impact on our societies and freedoms, we tend to forget that we already have a powerful universal freedom tool, namely laughter. Humour and satire exist everywhere and take different forms depending on the culture. In West Africa, traditional storytellers and musicians use satire to criticise leaders and political events, while in India, stand-up comedians’ corrosive humour denounce social and religious divisions. In New Zealand, the haka, traditionally a war dance, is sometimes used to mock politicians, while in Brazil, cartoonists who dare to highlight corruption and social inequalities are celebrated. The French are known for their chansonniers, combining humour and music to criticise society, just as Germans do in their political cabarets.
Even in today’s China, despite censorship, social networks make the widespread dissemination of caricatures possible. In 2020, the Swiss newspaper Le Temps published an article explaining that “The space left for cartoonists has shrunk over the past ten years in the Chinese press. However, political events are bringing this impertinent art back to life.”
Fools and Safeguards
Whether in times of war or peace, every people has developed its own form of humour. Each of them exists to make us laugh while highlighting subjects that might otherwise go unnoticed. Comedians and satirists are therefore both our fools and our safeguards. They offer an outlet to eliminate our frustrations and anxieties while informing us and taking a stand, where most of us would only do so through posts, safely hidden behind our screens.
A German proverb says:
“Humour is laughing in spite of it all.”
These days, this means in spite of financial crises and conflicts, fears for our future and that of the planet, dictatorships, and injustices. Laughter can both repair what is broken in us and offer a space to share our anxieties. It brings people together, informs, and invites action.
Laughter is a tool of resilience and a bearer of freedom that we desperately need and that we must cherish.
“Always look on the bright side of Life” sung by Eric Idle in Monty Python’s “Life Of Brian”
(Title quote taken from the Monty Python‘s song “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”in their film “Life Of Brian“. Article initially published in the francophone Belgian magazine “Laïcité Magazine” under the title “Laughter as a resilience tool”.)
This is the opening line to Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas”. I have loved that film, and have listened to Danny Elfman’s brilliant soundtrack during the months leading up to Christmas ever since the movie came out. Recently, I realised that I often think of this particular line, and wondered why.
The opening lines of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (narrated by Patrick Stewart)
Nostalgia
I think it awakens a sense of nostalgia for a time that never really existed. Just as Patrick Stewart’s voice says in the second half of the sentence: “in a place that perhaps you’ve seen in your dreams.” My friends and I have noticed that collective nostalgia has become more present in our society. Nostalgia for a time when young people rightfully expected that they would do better in life than their parents. A time when everything seemed simpler. When what was said on the news was assumed to be true, when working hard was going to get you places, and roles were clearly defined. When you didn’t have to make hard choices, because they were made for you. One of the most noticeable expressions of this nostalgia is Trump’s “Make America Great Again”. But what is nostalgia, really? According to the dictionary, it is:
“A wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition.”
Studies have shown that our brains are generally wired to remember the very negative or positive experiences, while everything in between seems to fade more easily. And indeed, nostalgia exaggerates the positive in our memories, erasing any negative context attached to them. That is perhaps why MAGA’s message is so easy to adhere to: it aims to remind us of a time when everything was supposedly better. As it is easy to glorify what you are removed from, either geographically or chronologically, the MAGA crowd believes there was a time when America truly was great.
Great again?
But how great was America, really? There used to be an American Dream, to be sure. And “the new world” (“new” for those who wrote our history) was indeed a land of opportunities and liberty for many who were fleeing persecution and hunger. There has also always been an American sense of optimism, and faith that anything is possible, that we Europeans long for. Where I grew up, we are raised to be conscious of our rich cultural heritage and our long history, but we are also weighed down by it. In the United States, this is not the case. Nothing seems to be forever, and there is a “can-do attitude” that we are simply not taught in Europe.
But no place is just one thing. And now, our perception of the American Dream is slowly shifting towards something not quite as perfect and squeaky clean as it used to be. We are waking up to the reality that, although America has been great for scores of people over the centuries, it certainly hasn’t been so for everyone. For many, the notion that we should go back to a time when America was “great” is upsetting, if not insulting. Whether for Indigenous peoples of the United States, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Japanese Americans, independent-minded women, people of alternative sexualities, anyone suspected of being a communist, and the list goes on. For all of these groups, returning to the days MAGA refers to is not an attractive alternative to today’s state of affairs. This is perhaps also a good time to mention the use of the name “America” in a way that completely disregards 34 American countries outside the United States.
The nostalgia for a time when “America was great” reminds me of complaints I hear about our shrinking scope of freedoms in the West, especially for upper-to-middle class White men. Seen from a certain perspective, I understand that giving up privileges can be hard, which I addressed in a previous blog article. But I don’t see how anyone should feel they are justified in complaining about this transformation. By which logic should the past ways be the norm, as opposed to the direction we are moving towards now?
Ask yourself
We should be asking ourselves how it is OK that we profit from the exploitation of others. For instance, how can we pay only a couple of euros for a T-shirt, without thinking about who made it? Who produced the fabric, coloured it, designed the shirt, sewed it – or operated the machines that sewed it – packaged, transported, sold it, in such a way that it should cost us only two euros? At whose expense are we wealthy, clothed, educated – happy? Who are the people who are stitching the inspirational messages on our shirts at 1,5€ per hour, reminding us how unique and fabulous we are? Are they not unique and fabulous, too?
My question to all of us is: “Why should anybody else’s time be of less value than our own?” Time is the one thing that cannot be stopped, reversed, or fixed. So who are we to decide that this precious commodity should be worth so little if you are born elsewhere? Like the people in China, India, or Thailand, making our clothes, toys, and machines, in Brazil, Colombia, or Vietnam, growing our coffee beans, in Ghana, the Ivory Coast, or Indonesia, harvesting our cocoa beans, to name but these.
James Brown used to sing:
“This is a man’s, man’s, man’s world But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl”
If we were honest with ourselves, we would be singing: “This is a White world, but it wouldn’t be nothing without all the other people working for us”.
“It’s a man’s, man’s, man’s world” by James Brown
As we know, but choose not to see, colonialism is not dead. It has just changed shapes. Whether we like it or not, our consumerist behaviour is greatly contributing to maintaining inequalities in this competitive market economy. In Europe, artists I know end up having their creations printed or sewn in China so that they will find buyers for them. European-made products are more expensive because we have strict labour laws and trade unions protecting workers’ rights, which makes them less competitive.
And when I hear people complaining about immigrants coming over to “our countries”, I think of the way our companies are treating these immigrants in their home countries. As long as we underpay the labour force working for us from across the world, they have every reason to want to move here, where they might have a chance at a fairer salary. Although I dream of a world where migration is a matter of choice, not a necessity for survival, we are still very far removed from it.
“Make America Great Again” is a wish to return to an age of innocence and blindness. A wish to return to childhood. Perhaps what the United States and part of the world are going through now is a coming of age. An awakening to what was already here, that so many managed to avoid seeing by keeping their eyes shut tight.
In some ways, it is like the film “The Zone of Interest”, which shows careless everyday life in the Hoess family home, right next to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where Hoess was the camp commandant. Like Hoess and his family, most Nazis and their allies chose not to see what they didn’t want to see. Just as most of us living in Western countries have been keeping our eyes shut in the face of injustice that we are actively, albeit indirectly, involved in. In this respect, the use of the word “woke” is exactly on point.
“Woke, the African-American English synonym for the General American English word awake, has (…) been used to refer to awareness of social and political issues affecting African Americans, often in the construction stay woke. Beginning in the 2010s, it came to be used to refer to a broader awareness of social inequalities such as racial injustice, sexism, and denial of LGBTQ rights.”
Some of us have been waking up to what we have, intentionally or unintentionally, ignored. The dust we have swept under the rug has been piling up for centuries. Our entire societal model, and what we call “progress”, is built on a profound imbalance, which is brilliantly addressed in the documentary film “Tomorrow“.
Trailer of the documentary film “Tomorrow” by Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent
It is a disparity on three levels: within our Western societies, between countries at a global human level, and between humans and the natural world on a planetary scale. We have been acting like the residents of Springfield in the episode of “The Simpsons” entitled “Trash of the Titans”. In it, Homer’s ineptitude as sanitation commissioner leads to unmanageable amounts of trash being piled up under his hometown, and all of Springfield eventually has to move, leaving behind a gigantic junkyard.
The ending of “Trash of the Titans”, The Simpsons S9 Ep22
Taking sides
Now, we are at a point where we are divided into two groups. One, still trying to hold on to our old ways, tied together with patriarchy, colonialism, the exploitation of every natural and human resource. Not unlike the residents of Springfield, they are already preparing themselves for a collective move to another planet, namely Mars, once they are done using this planet’s resources. The other group is ready to deal with all the trash humans have been leaving in their path. Some are already picking up their brooms and dustpans, while others are still considering what to do about this new awareness. In a way, we are faced with the same dilemma as Neo in “The Matrix”.
“You take the blue pill… the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill… you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
The “Blue pill or red pill” scene in “The Matrix” (written and directed by The Wachowskis)
In other words, do you choose to pretend you don’t know what’s going on, and go back to what you knew, even if it is a mirage? Or do you opt to face the harsh reality, and fight for freedom and truth? It is not an easy choice to make. Especially for today’s youth, who have only ever heard about how great things used to be. They are being hit with the consequences of centuries of industrialisation, exploitation, and inequalities. The impact of past wrongs is so overwhelming that escapism is a natural reaction to all that surrounds us. As we have seen, voting for a leader who promises to rid them of all these ugly truths is tempting, too – but it is extremely naive. All we hear in populist discourse, in reaction to this awakening that has begun, is violent discourse. The spread of incendiary language may lead to actual conflicts and suffering, but in the long run, I don’t see it stopping this course of history. It might slow it down, but it will not stop it.
Keep going
In 2025, I want to believe in the power of those who see the wrongs that were already here but had been ignored. I want to believe that, despite the force with which all our countries are shifting to the right, we will manage to avoid another world war or the complete destruction of our environment. I hope that ever more people will open their eyes, and turn to each other for support. I hope that the communities of people who see the world with more nuance, solidarity, and empathy, will grow to outnumber the ones desperately trying to hold on to the old worldview.
In the grand scheme of things, we are experiencing just another step in our evolution. This is merely a setback in our advance. My wish is that we won’t let it discourage us. Onwards we must go!
(Title quote taken from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, written by Tim Burton, Michael McDowell, Caroline Thompson)
Trump has just been elected the 47th president of the United States of America, in what is arguably the biggest win for the Republicans at all levels of the government since the eighties. When I started writing this article, the title quote I had chosen was Alastair John Campbell’s more sobre comment about Donald Trump:
“He’s normalised the abnormal in so many ways” – Alastair John Campbell on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”
“Morning Joe” on MSNBC, November 4th
But since yesterday morning, the only title that seems appropriate anymore is a line from an Amy Winehouse song – albeit taken out of context:
“What kind of fuckery is this?” – Amy Winehouse’s “Me and Mr. Jones”
I am not American, and I don’t live in the States, but I have strong ties with that vast and beautiful country. For months, I followed the presidential race very closely, absorbing information from all kinds of progressive, liberal, and centrist podcasts and news sources. Especially satirical shows, which helped me to avoid sinking into cynicism many times. I agree with David Hogg, a sharp gun-control activist who, when asked how he managed to remain inspired over time, replied:
“Truly, it’s things like The Daily Show. (…) There’s so much negativity and vitriol in the media constantly, it’s hard to watch. And when it feels like you’re constantly being told the world is on fire, but you still need to be informed, watching things like The Daily Show (…) and John Oliver (…) gave me a completely different perspective on how hilariously corrupt a lot of these different state legislatures and politicians are, but how it doesn’t have to be that way.” – David Hogg interviewed by Michael Kosta on The Daily Show
David Hogg interviewed by Michael Kosta on “The Daily Show”, October 24th
Most Europeans are well aware that the US presidential election results will impact the whole world. And despite the US foreign policy being very low on most American people’s priorities, our whole system is decidedly globalised and interconnected. Thus, seeing the MAGA crowd’s complete lack of empathy for anyone other than Trump supporters is worrying, even for Europeans. It reminds me of Gustave Gilbert’s quote, as he observed high-ranking Nazi leaders during the Nuremberg trials, echoing Hannah Arendt‘s sentiment:
“I was searching for the nature of evil. I think I’ve come close to defining it: a lack of empathy. It’s the one characteristic that connects all the defendants. A genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow man. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.” –G. M. Gilbert
A Woman of Power
On the other side of the spectrum, there is Kamala Harris who, when she became the new presidential candidate, brought a breath of fresh air. There was a sudden sense of hope, joy, and community in her campaign. She clearly stood for what I hope are the values of the future: empathy, inclusion, dialogue, constructive collaboration. There was, of course, room for improvement and aspects of her plan that could be questioned. I also understood that many did not agree with all her views, but I did hope a majority of voters would go for a sane, solid, smart alternative to the endlessly vulgar, disrespectful, dangerous Trump. But they didn’t.
This deeply disappointing election seems to show that too many men are still feeling threatened by women in positions of power. What I see is that in the West, we judge the Iranian Islamic regime and other profoundly chauvinist governments, thinking they are far-removed from us. We convince ourselves that our Human Rights can’t be taken away from us. But we forget about the rights Iranian women used to have mere decades ago, until the rise to power of the Ayatollah Khomeini – whose discourse was eerily similar to that of Trump. Already misogynist comments are flooding social media in post-election America. It has become one of Trump’s trademarks to belittle and objectify women. I assume this projects strength, in the same way as rape or wife battering might, for some of the men who struggle to find their place in our evolving social patterns.
Chris Hayes discusses how the election result emboldened misogynists
And despite it all, many people in the States preferred to vote for THAT man than for A woman – lest Kamala’s hormones get the better of her!
A Flawed System
Another conclusion I’ve reached is that our unchallenged socio-economic system is reaching its limits. Ever since the US lost its sole major opponent with the fall of the Soviet Union in the nineties, an unhinged capitalism based on infinite growth has taken over the world, as has Big Tech. Thirty years ago, American former Secretary of Labour Robert Reich very accurately predicted in a speech:
“We are on the way to becoming a two-tiered society, composed of a few winners and a larger group of Americans left behind, whose anger and whose disillusionment is easily manipulated. Once unbottled, mass resentments can poison the very fabric of society, the moral integrity of a society. Replacing ambition with envy, replacing tolerance with hate. Today, the targets of that rage are immigrants, and welfare mothers, and government officials, and gays, and an ill-defined counterculture. But as the middle class continues to erode, who will be the targets tomorrow?” – Speech by Robert Reich, 1994
Robert Reich and Heather Loft discussed this on “Coffee Klatch” on 27 April 2024 – LINK HERE
This is something that we have been observing in Europe as well, albeit to a lesser extent for now. I believe that our strong social model and trade unions are still helping to protect “our tired and our poor,” more than in the United States – despite what is written on the Statue of Liberty’s plaque.
But in Europe, too, we have grown increasingly tired of an economic and political system which favours the rich, shrinks the middle class, and disregards the poor. Since 2008, we have seen our governments bail out banks, that went on to give out huge bonuses to their top management. We have seen the American model of employment, chewing up and spitting out its workers, slowly replace our system of long-term hires. There is a steep increase in mental health issues, and working people are finding it hard to make ends meet. Here, too, the population is growing tired of the establishment. We see multinationals being allowed to dictate the rules, without being held accountable for their decisions or the damage they cause.
Taken from art by Tijana Djapovic (c)
But in the States, there are fewer guardrails. Where I used to be annoyed with European directives and regulations, seemingly making us less competitive or agile, I now see America’s lack of regulations as its Achilles heel. The Musks, Bezoses, Gateses, and Murdochs are the ones calling the shots, regardless of who’s in power. However, the extent to which the government works in their favour still varies. And here, it is so wrong to assume that, because Trump doesn’t play by any rules and says what he wants, he is a straight shooter who will defend the people’s interests. On the contrary, he is an ideal puppet for the big corporations, in a way that Kamala would not have been.
And it was naive of the Republicans to think they could control Trump, just as Hindenburg and his government thought they could control that “ridiculous people pleaser” called Hitler. Like Hitler in Germany, Trump has become a master at reinforcing many American people’s belief that their situation is disastrous and that only he can save them. He makes it sound as though all the cities in the US are Batman’s Gotham City, where all is dark and scary, and where outlaws and corrupt individuals rule the place. In this scenario, Trump would see himself as Batman. Except that Trump is actually the Joker disguised as Batman. JD Vance is his Robin and Musk is The Penguin. With JD Robin by his side, Trump-The Joker will create chaos so that he can save the day, while stuffing Elon Penguin’s pockets with money stolen from the people.
A New Hitler
But they are not comic book characters. And “harmless little Adolf” was not so harmless after all. The comparison between these two men is perfectly founded. And many steps in Hitler’s rise to power sound very familiar after these elections:
“The Great Depression brought the German economy to a halt and further polarized German politics. Hitler and the Nazis began to exploit the crisis and loudly criticized the ruling government. (…) The groundwork for the Nazi dictatorship was laid when the Reichstag was set on fire in February 1933.”
Just like Hitler, Trump remains extremely popular, no matter what he does, no matter how offensive, dictatorial, or truly insane he sounds. Like in 1930s Germany with Hitler, Trump’s personality cult is solid and lasting. It has been built over decades, from his time as a cameo celebrity in “Home Alone 2” to a TV personality with “The Apprentice.” People have become used to him. They have gone from laughing at his direct and crude remarks to revering him for them.
Hitler’s cult of personality was built on two elements: his talent as an inspiring speaker, and the propaganda techniques developed by his Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels. As is mentioned in the documentary about Nazi propaganda below:
“To summarise the basic principles of Nazi propaganda, they would be simplicity, repetition and emotional appeal.”
– Prof. Randall Bytwerkin “Designing Despotism: Hitler’s Propaganda and the Rise of Nazi Power”
Documentary: “Designing Despotism: Hitler’s Propaganda and the Rise of Nazi Power”
This is exactly what Trump does: he repeats a simple message that appeals to the masses’ emotions. He is saying to the people: “You are in danger, the situation is terrible, and I will make everything great again for you by getting rid of the bad people who are poisoning our good society!”
During my studies, I wrote several essays on Nazi propaganda. Being half German, I needed to understand how a nation that had given birth to divine music, literature, fine arts, and such advanced science and philosophy, could lose all sense of humanity. (I already addressed my aversion to nationalism in my post “No flag, no country! You can’t have one.”)
What I discovered through my research is that, with over a decade of constant propaganda, supported by an objectively terrible situation, the Nazis managed to convince Germans that Hitler was going to make everything better. But they did it gradually and consistently. As Goebbels said:
“Propaganda (…) must prepare the way (…) for practical actions. It must follow these actions step by step, never losing sight of them. In a manner of speaking, it provides the background music. Such propaganda in the end miraculously makes the unpopular popular, enabling even a government’s most difficult decisions to secure the resolute support of the people. A government that uses it properly can do what is necessary without running the risk of losing the masses.”
– Joseph Goebbels speech at a 1934 Rally in Nuremberg
And that is what Trump has done. He has made the unpopular popular. The unthinkable acceptable. Whether or not they like it, all media outlets have contributed to Trump becoming a household name and figure. Even by ridiculing him, liberal media have contributed to dimming the shocking effect of everything he says, despite their best intentions.
During Nazism, the propaganda messages were constantly repeated across many media, and thus steadily seeped into the German people’s lives – until they completely accepted them. Many of these messages were similar to MAGA’s: “women exist to breed, men must project strength, children’s activities must be in line with the regime’s values, nontraditional sexualities are perverted, cities are centres of debauchery and crime, rural life equates to healthy communities, our opponents seek to destroy us. When we are in power everyone will have jobs.” The only point where the two discourses differ is in their target of racism: in one case it was Jews and Roma, in the other it is immigrants. But the discourse is the same.
Taken from art by Tijana Djapovic (c)
Great Again
As in a dictatorship, Trump’s followers behave like cult members. After all, Trump promised them that he would make America great again. But let’s not forget that before him, Hitler had promised to make Germany great again… and Milosevic to make Serbia great again, Putin to make Russia great again, to name but these. I am waiting for the next French leader who will want France to regain its Napoleonic borders, the British leader who will want to regain one-third of the world, or a new Mussolini who will promise to reclaim the Holy Roman Empire. Trump’s plan may not include geographic expansion, but it does involve joining the world’s other ruling bullies, also known as dictators. Like Hitler and Stalin 90 years ago, they are all quite similar in their views and goals.
What Now?
What I fear now is that, if there isn’t sufficient pushback from the Democratic half of the country, the damage caused by Trump will reach our shores, too. Ukrainians will feel its effects in the very near future for sure. As will Palestinian civilians. And the American people who voted for Trump will feel it too, which he will blame on the immigrants. As for our planet, I dread the magnitude of the ecological damage we can expect under Trump.
But we must move forward! And we should look to young and bold leaders like David Hogg to mobilise masses for good, and to independent media to continue voicing their opinions. Political commentator David Pakman is warning his listeners not to give up the good fight. On seeing independent media lose thousands of subscribers after Trump’s victory, he says:
“Our instinct is the opposite of what the Right does. And we will get crushed if this is the way we respond to a defeat. The Right wants us not to exist. The Right wants to decimate independent progressive media.” – David Pakman on “The David Pakman Show”
“The David Pakman Show”, 6 November 2024
As for me, I will continue to follow these media channels, write, help NGOs work toward a positive change for humanity and the planet. I will go on raising my child with values that are the opposite of Trump’s – and hope that Europe will not follow in the United States’ footsteps.
Remember
This time around, we must remember the horrors of the twentieth century. We can’t plead ignorance. We must think how it could all turn out if we don’t pay attention to those “ridiculous” leaders who make us laugh. Trump will be worse this time around, so the American people who didn’t vote for him will have to be twice as strong as before.
And we Europeans, rather than following the same path, should be there to support the democratic opposition – just as the US helped us save our democracies against Nazism.
I will end this reflection with parts of a text written by Rebecca Solnit the day after the elections:
“They want you to feel powerless and to surrender and to let them trample everything and you are not going to let them. You are not giving up, and neither am I. The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving. (…)
There is no alternative to persevering, and that does not require you to feel good.”
Midlife Reflection 