{"id":5615,"date":"2015-12-23T11:01:54","date_gmt":"2015-12-23T10:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=44200"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:19","slug":"met-een-rotgang-vooruit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2015\/12\/23\/met-een-rotgang-vooruit\/","title":{"rendered":"Fast forward"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the good old days, Christmas used to be a very special occasion. Considering that those days were old for me, it\u2019s not even that long ago that children still had something to look forward to. It used to be the day preceded by the greatest anticipation \u2013 that golden moment when you unwrapped the most coveted presents with trembling fingers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s different now. Children get \u2018presents\u2019 from their near-absent parents every other week when they go shopping together during the weekend to pass the time. There\u2019s no longer a wish list that requires patience, just capricious finger pointing. More than that, kids can just go and get any conceivable kind of treat at their local supermarket.<\/p>\n

While children lost their sense of wonder, adults acquired a whole new conception of it. Putting together our \u2018New Year\u2019s resolutions\u2019, we set unrealistic goals seduced by ubiquitous advertisements like \u2018Lose 5 kilos in a week\u2019. So we end up with a lengthy list and swear by it for a week after Christmas.<\/p>\n

Most of the time, we approach change with a sort of black-and-white mentality. The past is all sooty and dark. We just want to get out of there as soon as we can, preferably with the least likeness to Zwarte Piet. In contrast, the future holds the promise. There, we picture ourselves as knights in shining armour, all our problems solved and the world is taken care of.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s just one problem. The present. It\u2019s these fluffy striped shoe-socks that we find ourselves in. We were given those without a receipt to get a refund. Our initial instinct is to cook up a hard and fast solution. We\u2019d do anything to get a fix, even if it\u2019s a short term one.<\/p>\n

Yet, if you are after a long term shift, it\u2019s time to get comfortable with the discomfort. We all want a total revolution, all right. If not today, then the day after. As flashy and dramatic as it is in our imagination, in reality things mostly change through gradual reform. No matter how much we\u2019d love to think in terms of the \u2018before\u2019 and \u2018after\u2019 pictures, the grey zone is where the genuine transformation occurs.<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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