The Netherlands faces a number of complex issues. Climate change, the aging society, the transition to renewable energy, the acute shortage of housing and the sustainability of agriculture. As state architect, Floris Alkemade is directly involved in studies that focus on the future of the Netherlands. In this book, he considers the importance and nature of the underlying cultural themes in light of the major questions facing us. The Netherlands occupies a unique position in relation to the global questions, where the need to change is essentially a social question. The author argues that our contemporary prosperity has taken such an unimaginable flight that any change is first perceived as a threat. Just when the ability to change direction must be addressed. The most powerful engine for change is evoking desire for change. Imagination is essential here. It is not the world that defines who we are, but vice versa, with our stories we shape the world.