Hi, my name is Hans van de Rakt
I travel through Europe, watch how people actually live and feel – and give it perspective.
Quality Of Life Atlas – June
The month people reached for their time The signal of June: the pressure eased off, and people didn’t reach for more. They reached for time – and took it back where they could, from work, from the phone, and for each other. June eased off,…
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Athens: a good life, before the fieldwork
On 3 July I fly to Athens. I’ll be there for three weeks, taking a proper look at what a good life looks like there – told by the people living it. I’m starting here for two reasons. Because Athens is where the good life…
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the engine, not the driver
A week ago I wrote about where AI is taking the economy. Short version: it will run it, better than we ever did. The AI agents will buy the shoes, match supply to demand, take over the small daily decisions – and remove the moment…
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what AI removes
I spent an afternoon talking with my AI system about where AI is taking us. Starting the conversation about the customer journey: decisions, purchases, supply chains. The whole picture. The basics of our economy. That sounds like a strange loop – asking the machine about…
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Quality of Life Atlas – May
The month people turned back toward each other The signal of May: for the first time in months the pressure eased a little – and people did not reach for more. They reached for each other. May felt different. Not fixed. Not solved. But lighter…
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everything is a transaction now
Somewhere along the way, a conversation became networking. Helping someone became a way to build reputation. Kindness started arriving with a quiet little invoice attached. You know the feeling. A chat starts open and human, and then near the end the vibe changes – the…
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the return of ritual
Across Europe, ancient fires are burning again. Druid gatherings in Ireland. Seasonal festivals in forests. Pilgrimages returning. People dancing around bonfires instead of sitting through another productivity webinar. At first glance, it looks confusing. But underneath the folklore and fire ceremonies sits something much bigger.…
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Quality of Life Atlas – April
The month society quietly started renegotiating the deal April had a particular feeling to it. Not crisis. Not collapse. Something quieter and more interesting than that. The feeling of a large number of people, in very different places and circumstances, all quietly asking the same…
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Moving society beyond GDP
Moving society beyond GDP toward quality of life as the goal for real progress For decades, society has treated economic growth as the main proof of progress. GDP became the big number – the scoreboard governments, cities, institutions, and businesses point to when they want…
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