What I truly dislike about Dutch culture is it’s underestimation of traditions. In Holland patriotism is considered a scary thing, a threat to the common sense, which is a very sad thing. I think people need culture, traditions passed on from generation to generation. The Dutch have always looked objectively to the rest of the world and tend to see only the traps that come along with tradition. Ofcourse there’s traps, but that is what makes us human right? Also I think a common misconception in The Netherlands is that patriotism is similar to chauvinism, I believe them to be complete different concepts. Every country has it’s own wisdom, in Holland it’s down-to-earth-ness, in Finland it’s honesty, in Spain it’s humour, in England it’s decency, in France it’s elegancy. Why not cherish the traditions that are meant to deepen these traits? I think traditions in any form are an expression of our human nature, taking into account both our agression, as well as our wisdom. Us humans will never get completely rid of agression, than why not start seeing the beauty of it?
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