Category Archives: In English

Transplantés

Transplantés
Transplantés

TRANSPLANTES 

La guerre a poussé des milliers de gens hors de chez eux.

Sur les mers comme nous avons été sur les routes de l’exode en 1940, fuyant les bombes, les tanks et les fusils.

Actuellement, 1 % de la population mondiale est réfugiée.

Ces migrants du Proche-Orient vont au plus près. Ainsi, ce sont le Liban, la Jordanie et la Turquie, qui en ont le plus grand nombre sur leur sol. 

Le Liban, ce petit pays, en a accueilli 1 sur 4 habitants tandis que l’Europe n’en a reçu qu’un pour mille.

Le gouvernement français a envoyé les habitants de la jungle de Calais à différents endroits du pays avec un succès variable. L’accueil n’est pas toujours très chaleureux.

Ce n’est pas simple. Par exemple, une petite ville du Morvan doit recevoir une trentaine de réfugiés entre 20 et 35 ans. Que vont faire ces jeunes gens qui ne peuvent travailler, seuls toute la journée ? Une plante  ne repousse pas toujours bien quand elle est transplantée. Il y faut beaucoup de soins, d’eau.

On peut comprendre la peur des autochtones. Comment préparer ces derniers réellement afin qu’ils comprennent qu’ils vont s’enrichir sans se déraciner ? Les réfugiés ont les mêmes sentiments que nous comme tous les êtres humains. Ils n’ont pas la même culture, la même religion.

« Dialoguer, dit Jean-Pierre Denis 1 , revient à creuser en soi, cherchant sa source intérieure. L’expérience de l’autre ne relativise pas la foi, elle aide le chrétien à devenir davantage fidèle.

Dialoguer, cela s’apprend, même si c’est plus difficile que d’apprendre le mandarin…

Dialoguer, c’est aussi chercher la vérité. C’est laisser l’autre s’exprimer, non seulement l’écouter mais essayer de l’entendre (tendre vers) , c’est-à-dire de le comprendre (prendre avec). Ce qui ne veut pas dire être nécessairement d’accord avec lui…

1In La Vie du 22/9/2016

What is important for young people

What is important for young people

quelques-voisins-transis-mais-heureuxNowadays, the traditional measure of success — owning an apartment and/or a car — is out of date. An increasing number of young people around the world don’t want to buy them.

Research shows that the so-called millennial generation, who are now 30-35 years old, rarely buy houses and even more rarely — cars. In fact, they don’t buy super expensive things at all. In the USA, people under the age of 35 are called ’the generation of renters.’

Why does this happen?

Some sociologists say it’s because modern youngsters suffer from financial crises. That’s why people are afraid of ’serious’ loans.

But it’s not the most important reason. The thing is, the current generation of young people differs from their parents’ generation. They have other values.

The youth today has reconsidered the concept of success, which means:

  • Successful people don’t buy property — they rent.
  • If you want to be considered successful, invest in experiences: travel, do extreme sports, build startups.

The point is that people now don’t want prosperity and stability — all they want is flexible schedules and financial and geographical independence.

People have no interest in material things

Why own a car if you can take a cab? It’s almost a personal car with a driver. And it’s not more expensive than having your own car. Why buy a house in a beautiful place and go there for vacation, if you can find a place to stay through Airbnb in any corner of the planet? You don’t have to overpay for rent or buy a property in a country you love. The same thing with real estate in your hometown:

  • You don’t know how long you’ll stay where you live.
  • You can take on a mortgage for 40 years, or you can accept the fact that you’ll spend your whole life in a rented place.
  • You’ll probably change your job in the next few years. If you rent, nothing prevents you from moving closer to the office.

According to Forbes, modern young people change jobs every three years on average.

The concept of ownership is no longer relevant

James Hamblin, The Atlantic’s columnist, explains the phenomenon as follows: ’Over the past decade, psychologists carried out a great amount of research proving that, in terms of happiness and a sense of well-being, spending money on new experiences is much more profitable than buying new things. It brings more joy.’

Experiences help us make friends

Social interaction between people is crucial to whether they feel happy or not. Talking to others and having a lot of friends makes you a happier person. But would people rather hear about how you spent a year in a wild country or about how many apartments you’ve already bought?

Here’s an extract from Hamblin’s article:

’Turns out people don’t like hearing about other people’s possessions very much, but they do like hearing about that time you saw Vampire Weekend.’

Remember that even a bad experience can become a good story. Material things cannot.

Buying things makes us worry

There’s one more thing. The things we own, especially if they’re very expensive, make us worry about their condition. If you buy a car, you’ll flinch every time someone’s alarm sounds outside. If you buy a house and fill it with expensive items, you’ll be afraid of being robbed. Not to mention the fact that a car can be scratched or break down, and a super expensive TV might break after a year of usage. But no one can ever take away the experiences you have.

Every purchase will go down in price over time

Our parents weren’t able to travel as often as we do. There wasn’t the possibility to have so much fun. They didn’t have so many opportunities to start a new business. Therefore, they invested in houses and cars, and we don’t want to do that. After all, every purchase, if it’s not a house or an apartment, will depreciate over time. And if we think about how quickly real estate depreciates during a crisis, then everything becomes even more obvious.

Experience is the only thing that matters: it won’t go down in price, and no one can steal it.

What do young people like

What do young people like

Why does this happen?

Some sociologists say it’s because modern youngsters suffer from financial crises. That’s why people are afraid of ’serious’ loans.

But it’s not the most important reason. The thing is, the current generation of young people differs from their parents’ generation. They have other values.

The youth today has reconsidered the concept of success, which means:

  • Successful people don’t buy property — they rent.
  • If you want to be considered successful, invest in experiences: travel, do extreme sports, build startups.

The point is that people now don’t want prosperity and stability — all they want is flexible schedules and financial and geographical independence.

People have no interest in material things

Why own a car if you can take a cab? It’s almost a personal car with a driver. And it’s not more expensive than having your own car. Why buy a house in a beautiful place and go there for vacation, if you can find a place to stay through Airbnb in any corner of the planet? You don’t have to overpay for rent or buy a property in a country you love. The same thing with real estate in your hometown:

  • You don’t know how long you’ll stay where you live.
  • You can take on a mortgage for 40 years, or you can accept the fact that you’ll spend your whole life in a rented place.
  • You’ll probably change your job in the next few years. If you rent, nothing prevents you from moving closer to the office.

According to Forbes, modern young people change jobs every three years on average.

The concept of ownership is no longer relevant

James Hamblin, The Atlantic’s columnist, explains the phenomenon as follows: ’Over the past decade, psychologists carried out a great amount of research proving that, in terms of happiness and a sense of well-being, spending money on new experiences is much more profitable than buying new things. It brings more joy.’

Experiences help us make friends

Social interaction between people is crucial to whether they feel happy or not. Talking to others and having a lot of friends makes you a happier person. But would people rather hear about how you spent a year in a wild country or about how many apartments you’ve already bought?

Here’s an extract from Hamblin’s article:

’Turns out people don’t like hearing about other people’s possessions very much, but they do like hearing about that time you saw Vampire Weekend.’

Remember that even a bad experience can become a good story. Material things cannot.

Buying things makes us worry

There’s one more thing. The things we own, especially if they’re very expensive, make us worry about their condition. If you buy a car, you’ll flinch every time someone’s alarm sounds outside. If you buy a house and fill it with expensive items, you’ll be afraid of being robbed. Not to mention the fact that a car can be scratched or break down, and a super expensive TV might break after a year of usage. But no one can ever take away the experiences you have.

Every purchase will go down in price over time

Our parents weren’t able to travel as often as we do. There wasn’t the possibility to have so much fun. They didn’t have so many opportunities to start a new business. Therefore, they invested in houses and cars, and we don’t want to do that. After all, every purchase, if it’s not a house or an apartment, will depreciate over time. And if we think about how quickly real estate depreciates during a crisis, then everything becomes even more obvious.

Experience is the only thing that matters: it won’t go down in price, and no one can steal it.

Courses for parents

Courses for parents

Introduction to the Gordon method through shared experiences in groups of 10 to 12 people in an atmosphere of respect and humour.

Enrolment by e-mail : annelibbrechtg(at)freedotfr

Training can take place in Belgium, France (Paris and Haute-Savoie) or Switzerland, once a group of 12 people is formed.

Contact by e-mail.

Contact me with your questions.

If you are comfortable sending e-mails, you can set out your problem in a clear and concise manner explaining who, when, where, how and how often a situation occurs.

I will get back to you as quickly as I can. If you prefer to discuss thingson the telephone, it is best to fix a time boy e-mail and we can then tak things by telephone or Skype.

A DVD : Being parent is challenging.

Three everyday situations in the life of a family illustrate current difficulties and ways of dealing with them to the benefit of each and everyone.

There is much to laugh about and to reflect on  in French!

The DVD can be ordered through the same e-mail adress and will be sent on receipt of a cheque of 13 euros plus packaging.