Does today's Dutchman know what it is to be a refugee?

“Go and mean something to your own country! They think they are entitled to everything once they are in the EU, the arrogance. ” - 94 likes.

I am startled. How can someone say this when he or she does not know the stories of those people? Without knowing yourself, to feel what it is like to live in Syria or Afghanistan? We are not talking about enemy soldiers here, we are talking about migrants and refugees here. We are not talking here about an invasion, but about people looking for a safe home. People who enrich a culture, as long as you are committed to it as a country. If you as a country are willing to look at migrants and refugees in this way. Not as a burden, but as an opportunity.

You feel that you should not be there, that you are a burden. That will have consequences for your mental health. Let alone that you had to leave your family, friends, culture, everything that is familiar. You get a distorted image of yourself, of the world and live to survive. You want change but don't know how. Despair drives people to crazy things. Stealing, vandalism, threats, etc. They are wrong things. But we don't know what it's like to live in the overcrowded camps. We do not know what a person has to deal with mentally, physically, mentally and emotionally.

As long as we continue to treat humans as enemies, there will be no improvement. That happens when we decide to change our attitudes, seeing people as people who have the same basic needs as you and I, with talents and gifts that can accomplish great things. People the chance
to relax, to heal by being a home. A safe home base creates space for a person to bear fruit. Beyond the 'survival' stage so that we learn to be united, complement and strengthen each other.

I see this happening on the shop floor in Grenzeloos. We show people who they are, discover where their qualities lie and how they enrich the team. It is a slow process and requires patience. It starts with trust. People dare to be themselves on the basis of trust and the employees are connected to each other. Man's universal vulnerability and strength is revealed through honest and open conversations.

Therefore, have compassion and patience for each other. Support initiatives that improve conditions in camps. Especially now with the corona virus. Encourage the EU to seek and find solutions, opportunities and possibilities. Give where necessary and look after lonely refugees in our country. Let's not judge too quickly and start with ourselves and our environment.

This is already happening and that is wonderful! Only by working together can we get out of this. Not through fragmentation or isolation.