The first question: Why do we live

Geboortehuis maison natale Lode Zielens Pompstraat Anvers Antwerpen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In 1932 there appeared a book by the Belgian social novelist and journalist Lode Zielens that we devoured as a young person with eager eyes. When we could come to see the black and white film of his realistic social novel “Moeder waarom leven wij?” (“Mother why do we live?”) in the 60s saw we were glued to the screen. (The 1993 version for the television channel VTM, I have never seen.)

What was described by Marnix Gijsen as

“The first great book of the new generation”

gave us a realistic picture of the social upheavals of the metropolis Antwerp through the eyes of the little guy.

The issues raised in the film were aspects we not only can find in poor working class neighbourhoods, such as the Seefhoek. Even today, people are sometimes severely shaken that they question why they live.

Flag used by the now-defunct political party Vlaams Blok in Belgium. Seen; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/752463.stm, http://www.fotw.net/flags/be%7Dvlblg.html (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is also striking that certain political parties managed to emerge in certain neighbourhoods or to be large. Seefhoek neighbourhood, where once Vincent van Gogh, Willy Vandersteen, Jef Cassiers, Matthias Schoenaerts en Rik Coppens lived, was as known for example in Flanders when it was made clear in the television program Panorama in 1988 how the emergence of Flemish nationalist political merger of De Vlaams Nationale Partij (the Flemish National Party) and the radical wing of the Vlaamse Volkspartij or Flemish People‘s Party to Vlaams Blok, [later to become Vlaams Belang (Flemish interest)] was made possible by the conditions there. The report mainly caused commotion by the language which defined migrants  “bananenfreters”, “tree climbers”, etc. A piece of the report can be seen on YouTube.

Today we have returned to a politically unstable future where we in some countries, such as Britain, France, Austria and the United States of America, see similar situations as those from the 1930s and people standing up like the dangerous figure of the Führer.

In these turbulent times many people come up with more questions. Therefore this blog where I want to go looking for those essential questions and answers.

We may be or have been born and placed here on earth, but why and by whom. Who or what is behind all this and what good has our pitiful existence?

So if you have some answers, do not mind letting it know. Are you also sitting with that question

Why do we live?

let us go together looking for some answers.

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Preceding the Dutch version: Een eerste vraag: Waarom leven wij?

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Additional reading

1. Kitty Werthmann her account of grewing up in Austria under Nazi regime
2. Kindertransport
3. Anti-Semitism ‘on the rise’ in Europe
4. Ageing and Solidarity between generations
5. Depression Economics and Paul Krugman
6. Economic crisis danger for the rise of political extremism
7. Capitalism downfall
8. Blood soaking the water at democracy’s beachhead
9. Where is the USA wanting to go with the freedom of their people
10. 2014 Politics in the United States of America
11. 2014 Politics all over the world
12. The New gulf of migration and seed for far right parties
13. Immigration consternation
14. Migrants to the West #1
15. Migrants to the West #5
16. Migrants to the West #8 Welbeing
17. Migration not something to fear
18. Pew survey shows a split in EU favorability
19. Out and In-work poverty plus Mini jobs, Maxi-poverty
20. 70 years later
21. When so desperate to hold onto power
22. Ron Paul blames Neocons
23. For more than Three thousand people fifteen years ago this world came to an end
24. Nailed to our chairs, never to forget
25. Americans wrongly informed about situation in Europe
26. Before you blame All Muslims for the terrorist attack in Paris
27. Bringers of agony, Trained in Belgium and Syria
28. Being Charlie 1
29. When will it stop
30. Summary for the year 2015 #1 Threat and fear
31. Knife-trust in democratic sore back
32. Paris attacks darkning the world
33. State of emergency and respect for human rights
34. Is Europe going to become a dictatorial bastion
35. Mocking, Agitation and Religious Persecution
36. Secularism in France becoming dangerous for freedom of religion
37. French showing to the whole world their fear and weakenes
38. On French beach French police forces woman to undress in public
39. France and the Burkini
40. Does Banning Face Veils Help Us Fight Terrorism?
41. Women in France running with naked bosom all right but with covered bosom penalised
42. Islamophobic hate crimes rise in UK following terror attacks
43. Islamophobia Must be Fought and Defeated
44. Declaration of war against Islam and Christianity
45. Islamism Rises from Europe’s Secularism
46. Summary for the year 2015 # 2 Strewn with corpses and refugees
47. Backing the wrong horse
48. Foreign workers and immigrants
49. Entering a new period of ‘Cold War’
50. Brexit clashes and reasons to consider to bring out the right vote
51. Brexit, Nexit, Vlexit and Frexit
52. Financial mishmash
53. Brexit, The Bible, What next?
54. First sayings around the Brexit
55. Brexit No. 2 Blow-up
56. Welfare state and Poverty in Flanders #1 Up to 21st century
57. Welfare state and Poverty in Flanders #2 First two decennia of 21st century
58. Welfare state and Poverty in Flanders #3 Right to Human dignity
59. Welfare state and Poverty in Flanders #12 Conclusion
60. Belgium has weathered the global crisis quite well
61. Standing aside or looking at election days
62. Yellow wave over Belgium
63. Disturbing language inbalance
64. Walloon politicians have proven they will never be willing to be open to Flanders
65. Being European in a Post Brexit Britain
66. Looking at an American nightmare
67. The twist of politics and expression
68. Blinded crying blue murder having being made afraid by a bugaboo
69. The clean sweeper of the whole caboodle
70. Trump brand of migrant demonization #2
71. Mass Media’s Deception Causing Division
72. A Progressive Call to Arms
73. Self inflicted misery #1 The root by man
74. How importance on religion is placed
75. American Christianity no longer resembles its Founder
76. A strong and wise fighter who keeps believing in America
77. A world with or without religion

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Further reading

1. Life
2. What is Life?
3. What is Life? It’s Lessons
4. Purpose
5. A Steady Purpose
6. Life’s Purpose 1
7. Life’s Purpose 2
8. Life’s Purpose 3
9. life’s purpose (haiku – daily moments)
10. My life’s purpose
11. What is my life’s purpose?
12. Powerful Life Changes- Life Purpose
13. Discovering Your Life’s Purpose
14. What is our purpose? #purpose #aloneness #birthdaypost
15. Your Purpose In Life.
16. Called for a Purpose
17. Shift to Think Purpose 1
18. Shift to Think Purpose 2
19. Find your Purpose Part III
20. How I’m Fulfilling My Purpose
21. The Purpose and Beauty of Life’s Tests
22. 5 Reasons Finding Your Life’s Purpose Will Make You Feel Whole
23. This is Your Life, Do What You Love
24. Does Everything Happen for a Reason?
25. What they don’t tell you, Its permanent
26. The Fitness Peak
27. Molasses Time – Or Dying in Slow Mo
28. A Second Chance?
29. Life as a woven fabric
30. A Speck in Earth’s Eye
31. When All Else Fails: How to Get Back on Track of Your Purpose
32. Being of nature
33. Embracing insomnia and pain…
34. Life’s Thorns
35. Do You Have A Vision?
36. Putting This Out Into the Universe
37. Why am I in college?
38. In memory of papa
39. A Life Well Lived
40. Shift to Think Purpose
41. Your 6 Human Needs to Develop
42. How far will you go to achieve your dreams?
43. If You Are at the State of ‘I Don’t Know’, You’re Doing It Right
44. How not to Burn out
45. Connecting the dots…..
46. The importance of goals
47. Finding the Unique Person that is Me
48. My “Superhero” Story and Why I Do What I Do
49. Book Review: How To Get To The Point In Your Life: A Path of Revelations & Revivals by Tia Johnson
50. Read this
51. The Brave Watchman
52. Not all who wander are lost
53. Today… a Day of Rest
54. Letting Go
55. Hey…You!
56. It’s Okay To Be Invisible
57. Finding your inner light
58. Transform
59. Owning Who I am
60. The Order of Life
61. How is My Divine Self Revealed?
62. The Christian’s Calling and Living
63. Faith and works… faith that works
64. Live your life with intense purpose
65. God’s Purpose for Me
66. The Pursuit of Happiness
67. gratitude vs purpose
68. Hope
69. A Promise of Hope and a Future
70. Affirm Life Today

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