Read the entire Craigslist article on Wired.com!

You are behaving responsible if the social profit of your business exceeds its cost.

You are behaving responsible if you minimize the footprint your business leaves behind.

Why is this something that people feel should be discussed? Because the laws and regulations were made before we had any awareness of the fact that pollution has a very long-term effect? It seems that way, and only when public opinion threatens to affect the bottom-line companies feel obliged to take action. The current green movement is just as much a marketing trend as the next thing but at least we are neutralizing our carbon footprint. It’s just too bad that there are all these other possible footprints that are not in the public eye.

For example, the electric company trying to sell me green power, but I still have a choice, when they’re convinced that is the best way, why leave us a choice at all? Or why doesn’t the government use the huge percentage of tax on our energy usage to make it ‘green’?

Same goes for social profitability; a business that can only thrive by exacting a cost on its social surroundings is not thriving at all; its costs are bigger than its  profits. The gambling industry comes to mind for example.

I do understand that it’s very hard to determine what the social profits and costs of doing business are, at least in some cases. The Salvation Army for example, probably has a bigger social profit than cost, while a gambling club does not gain anyone but the owners anything. For all the businesses in between things can be more grey, but it being grey is no excuse for exacting it anyway.

Still, I think there is some middleground to be found. In the past, profit was there, ofcourse, but there were multiple other goals; honouring your god(s), bringing honour to your name/family/parents/father/mother or just provide for your tribe by bringing home a deer you’ve killed to be eaten. Sure enough, money seems to have replaced all these values, the few values we have left are remnants of the in my little world dominant christian background. Ofcourse some people still bring home money just to feed their family.

While we are sort of changing (evolving would imply this is a good/bad thing rather than just a change) towards a stage were money is just the best means to the goal we strive for, wether its happiness, material posession or some kind of transcendence. I still think its going to stick around for a lot longer. But that does not in any way mean we should just accept the current train of thought as written in stone.

It’s definitely not money that makes the world go round, it’s the effort people put in. For money ofcourse, but what would happen if you would think of another incentive?

The Dutch attitude seems extremely lacking when it comes down to simply enjoying life. 

Every time I return from Spain I notice my outlook on life has changed a little bit, and this keeps happening to me over and over again. My newfound appreciation for daily life and its events slowly fades to a background while I get sucked in the negative energy most Dutch people portray. 

As and example I will tell you something that actually happened to me often enough for it to become significant. When I go out of the house, I try and take good care of my outward appearance. This is very important to me, not just to feel good about myself, but also to state to myself that the day or activity I am about the emerge myself in is worth it. When I do this to go partying, most often, when talking to girls you do not know, they will ask me why I am dressed up, did I just finish work?  When in the same situation in Spain, the most common remark would be that they appreciate the way I dress/look good.

Obviously the point of this example is not to convey that I dress well, look good, or want to be flatttered more while in the Netherlands. The point would be that both girls notice my appearance, but where the Spanish girl would give her remark a positive twist, a Dutch girl would do the exact opposite. My personal opinion would make that this is caused by the Dutch attitude towards being remarkable, most Dutch people think that blending in and belonging is the situation to strive for. We actually have a saying for it; “Je kop boven het maaiveld steken”, which roughly translates to “Sticking your head above the field of crop” Or they could use the even more negative “craving for attention”.

My frustration is this; people should not worry all the time about what they are supposed to do or look like. If all people would start making their descisions based on what makes them happy, I think a lot of the problems we have today would become absolete. 

Any thoughts yourself, you know where to find the comments!