In the last couple of months, our streets were empty and our cities quiet. Behind this seeming tranquillity, there has been a storm raging through our values and structures. It has given us the space to think about a complete ‘reset’ of the dysfunctional systems in our society. In this series, we showcase the perspectives of a variety of thought leaders who will reflect on our present-day situation. Through the lens of their own area of expertise and with an emphasis on the power of design and imagination. The corona crisis is, without a doubt, a crisis that is leaving behind a trail of victims. But which transformations will we be left with in the aftermath? In times as these, it is the creatives, philosophers, scientists, makers, and designers who can visualise new scenarios, and develop new insights for our future.
About Matthijs Schouten
Matthijs Schouten is an ecologist, theologist, professor in nature and landscape conservation in Ireland and the Netherlands, strategist at the Dutch forestry commission Staatsbosbeheer, a Buddhist and teacher in meditation. He sees the climate crisis as a spiritual crisis and is looking for ways to re-evaluate our inner connection to nature. The future of our earth is severely threatened, but he remains hopeful. ‘I’m so happy to work with young people, with students. If I see their solutions, I simply can’t be anything else but hopeful. That’s also what I learned during my buddhistic training. You can only do the things you do as well as you possibly can. You shouldn’t focus on the results, you never know what they will be anyway. We are connected to the world around us in a web of connections and relations. Everything we do and say has influence, only we can’t oversee its scope.’
