{"id":22254,"date":"2022-02-27T15:56:11","date_gmt":"2022-02-27T14:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miracleproject.earth\/en\/geen-onderdeel-van-een-categorie\/introduction\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T21:36:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:36:44","slug":"introduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miracleproject.earth\/en\/books\/money-is-never-about-money\/introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Dear fellow being,<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

We humans have developed a strange tendency: taking the absurd and calling it \u2018normal\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s become normal to work to earn more every year, just to be able to do the things we did last year. It\u2019s become normal for us to \u2018give\u2019 back more money than we borrow. It\u2019s become normal for us to sell pieces of land to each other on a planet that belongs to no one. It\u2019s become normal to produce more than twice the food we need and throw a third to half of it away. It\u2019s become normal to reward our children, partners, colleagues and fellow humans when they do what we want, and punish them when they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a child, I was pretty bewildered by \u2018normal\u2019. I saw grown-ups and older children doing things I didn\u2019t understand, that felt loveless, and triggered sadness in me. But asking for an explanation would often get me one of two answers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018That\u2019s just the way it is.\u2019
Or \u2018Because we say so\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I rebelled. I wanted no part in it, but I also wanted to be accepted. I wanted people to like me, and I wanted to show I didn\u2019t care who thought what about me. I wanted to be strong and smart, and I wanted to be open about my fears and doubts. In short, I yearned to be myself, but only if being myself helped me to be what I thought other people wanted me to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this struggle was safely kept where I thought it belonged: inside. Because I surely must have been missing the mark, understanding so little and feeling at home almost nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I stopped asking questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And started studying to get out of school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And went to university because that\u2019s what you do when you have a school degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And found work because that\u2019s what you do when you finish university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And built a good life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That felt wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Something inside of me kept saying \u2018No\u2019. And because I didn\u2019t listen, this No started growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And growing.
And growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until I could ignore it no more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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