Change can happen if thinking outside the box is made applicable inside the box. Combining the house of cards and the strategic chess play can open new doors. The wind of change can just start at one place on the chess board. From there, it can influence the course and level playing field of the complete canvas of society. The chess board is a metaphor for society. The spade is formally associated with spear, leaf and shovel. We need all three.

All systemic changes started like this, with just one idea or one action in one place. This thought empowers hope for a better world. Hope is intrinsic and is about direct personal involvement (Cornel West), and “Hope is the thing with feathers” (Emily Dickinson). Actual change always starts somewhere.

From today on, we need to change more than ever because the direction in which we walk is not the right one. UN Secretary-General António Guterres even talked about hell on the 27th (!) climate top. It is good to know “we all can make a difference”, as Obama stated once.

We need all to turn the tide of loss and injustice (among others) and to keep democracy and our natural ecosystems alive and kicking. We need the spade more than ever against upcoming autocracy, populism, racism, fascism, greed and the world of denial and fake. The spade it is. A personal expression.

Bibliography

Kruf, J. (2022) Wind of Change [fine art print]. Breda: Private collection.