“Checked off”

Something strange. Most economic indicators are in the green, but there’s still a strange undercurrent. The stock markets are doing well, the housing market is at an all-time high, the labor market is tight, wage inflation is quite substantial, and pension funds have high coverage ratios. Even the number of people living below the poverty line is falling. Yet there are plenty of problems—climate change, obesity, loneliness, migration, a healthcare crisis, youth welfare, educational performance, rental housing, etc.—but apparently, they don’t affect the economy. Not us. Not yet.

With our heads in the clouds of materialism—just look at us rushing en masse to “Black Friday” again these days—we still haven’t brought our spending in line with our means. Everything, for everyone, all the time. But how much longer can “individualized customization,” “something for everyone,” “just because we can,” and “rights without responsibilities” remain affordable? And, by the way, what are we supposed to do with 67 kinds of tea on the supermarket shelf?

When is that bubble going to burst? We know that prosperity doesn’t lead to well-being, but when will we realize that we can’t even afford it anymore? Look at the countries around us—things are already going wrong there. And the Netherlands, too, is already bankrupt, and in some ways we’ve truly crossed the moral line of unchecked money printing. There’s a surplus of money in the economy, but returns are declining structurally. Implosion is only a matter of time.

We can’t keep giving everything to everyone all the time—we’ve reached the limit of our tolerance. It’s time for choices without tolerance. Choices that come with drawbacks for one group, for another, or for both. Can we do that before it’s too late and scarcity forces our hand? Can the implosion still be prevented? Only if politicians and leaders start leading the people instead of following them! The current populism—which we ourselves chose a year ago—must quickly be replaced by a political center that advocates for balanced yet sharp and firm choices.

What about Artificial Intelligence & Data Science (AI/DS)—can’t technology save us? Prosperity for everyone, claim the tech prophets. Well, AI/DS is brilliant; it will dramatically increase the productivity of many professions, such as consultants, accountants, teachers, doctors, and lawyers. Yet we are the ones who decide. AI/DS supports us, but we choose. For example, AI/DS improves diagnostics in Healthcare, but it cannot choose for us whether someone is too old for a new hip replacement. Here’s another example. AI/DS can optimize the processes for granting benefits, but the truly fundamental choice is one of tax reform without benefits. AI supports us, but we cannot escape making the real choices.

If we want to prevent the implosion, we’ll need as many as ten Delta Plans. We need bold decisions—not half-measures—in all the problem areas mentioned. We’re best able to make such decisions together. No one can do it alone. We can only do it together. That is the first and most important decision. Having “had enough” of individualization, we’re going to do this together. I call on companies and entrepreneurs to invest above all in the ability to adapt to changing circumstances—and in each other.