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In a weekly column, alternately written by Lucien Engelen, Maarten Steinbuch, Carlo van de Weijer, Daan Kersten and Tessie Hartjes, E52 tries to find out what the future will look like. All five contributors are all working on technologies that can provide solutions to the problems of our time. This Sunday, it‘s Daan Kersten’s turn.

Here are all the prior editions of [TOMORROW IS GOOD]

This column is originating high in the sky as I’m flying over the Alps, coming back from a visit to Italy where I could speak at a conference about a new technology. A good moment to think about my piece that falls on your virtual doormat every Sunday morning with the returning topic ‘tomorrow is better’.

It isn’t hard to imagine and sincerely hope that tomorrow will be better with the terrible events of the past few days and weeks. It’s raining attacks, the lives of young girls are taken in cruel ways and instead of holding each other in this confusing time to stand strong together, everyone chooses for himself. A retracting movement is visible in Europe, the parties around the Binnenhof exclude each other or make views from unbridgeable barriers to a coalition to be formed.

“Maybe we should stop prioritizing our own privacy and step over our diffidence”Daan Kersten,

However, there is also a reason for gratitude that many are not guided by political or religious preference and mourn to celebrate the victims and life, full of rightful optimism. We may also lightly be grateful for the renewal that spring brings with exuberant green, blooming flowers and bushes, glorious sunbeams and exuberantly whistling birds. I also heard a nice message on the radio in the car yesterday. In the Safety Region North Holland North, an extensive promotional research was done by

In the Safety Region North Holland North, an extensive promotional research was done by Lieke Harmsen, a doctor in the VUmc and Martin Smeekes, doctor, and director of the Safety Region on improvements in the ambulance care in heart failure and brain infarction. The number of survivors turned out to have risen sharply after entering a smart questionnaire, prepared by working together with all those involved in the acute care chain. In addition, the time between a life-threatening event and life-saving action was greatly reduced by doing a lot of things in parallel and sometimes by others in the chain.

A good example of looking over walls, daring to question existing conventions and looking for an even better end result together. Shouldn’t we similarly see if we couldn’t all work together with the investigating authorities and terrorism fighters to make attacks even harder and make it nearly impossible for malicious people to hurt other people? We are continuously ‘connected’ and as a mass, we can do a lot more than we are doing now, maybe we should stop prioritizing our own privacy and step over our diffidence. We could ask for help sooner, also to strangers. Bike riding along with someone instead of alone. It’s just a thought, because don’t we all want the same thing? We want Tomorrow to be Good!

Have a good weekend!