When you begin to study the tradition of your country, you often discover that many words, fairy tales, and dishes that you consider traditions of your own country are actually from very faraway places.

OK, and? That does not mean I can’t love the way my country is, and that I want to protect this way. And it can be done without destroying someone else’s country.

For example: the zero and chess from India; algebra and algorithms from Arabic countries; paper, silk, gunpowder, and ceramics from China; tomatoes and potatoes from America; etc.

Cool, and those countries use our inventions as well (telescopes, Stock Exchanges, pendulum clocks, polders (and water management in general)). That does not mean I stop wanting to preserve and protect the volksgeist of the country I live in.

No, that does not mean we don’t do anything wrong, ever, and that we cannot grow beyond where we are now, but there are certain foundational aspects that I 100% want to see preserved (like showing up on an appointment, on time).