1. I went to a Catholic school in Chile...
...in a country colonized by Spain, where obedience, sacrifice, and guilt were sacred tools. We were taught to believe, not to question. We were told about missionaries, saints, and the cross — but barely about reformers. They taught us about John Calvin, about the Protestant Reformation, but no one told us about or how countries that broke free from Rome and the Catholic church ended up leading the world in wealth, education, and innovation. Perhaps because those stories were dangerous — they made you think.
As Simone de Beauvoir once said, "Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now." But we weren’t encouraged to act. We were told to wait, to obey, to accept.
2. History explains culture — and culture explains behavior.
When I first arrived in the Netherlands, I was charmed… and confused. Why were people so reserved with emotions, so direct with words, so efficient with time and money? Why did generosity feel so… calculated? It wasn’t personal — it was cultural.
And when I began to trace that culture back to Calvinism, a whole new layer of meaning opened up. The past whispers through customs, habits, values. And the more I learn, the more I understand not only the Dutch — but also myself, in contrast.
As James Baldwin wrote, “Know from whence you came. If you know whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.”
3. From marshland to maritime power.
This land was once soggy and insignificant. No gold, no mountains, no empire. Just wind, water, and willpower. The Dutch didn’t inherit wealth — they engineered it.
They built dikes, poldered land, drained swamps, and constructed harbors. They turned trade into an art form, and accounting into an ethic. The VOC wasn’t just a company; it was a civilization on ships.
Their prosperity wasn’t divine luck. It was disciplined collaboration. Frugality. Foresight. Calvinism shaped the inner life. Geography shaped the outer struggle. Together, they forged a people.
4. Calvinism marked the Dutch soul — and modern capitalism.
John Calvin (1509–1564) believed that life should reflect divine order. That hard work was proof of grace. That leisure, indulgence, and flamboyance were suspect.
The result?
- A moral calling to be productive.
- Suspicion toward laziness or excess.
- The belief that success is earned — and deserved.
- A discomfort with emotional expression.
- And an inner pressure to constantly prove worth.
Max Weber called it the “Protestant work ethic.” Today, we call it hustle culture. But its roots are deeply theological.
5. I admire — and I reflect.
I admire the Dutch.I admire their systems, their beauty, their cities, their ability to make things work.
I admire how they can have no small talk and yet be reliable.
But I also notice the shadows:
- The emotional restraint.
- The discomfort with being soft, chaotic, or spiritual.
- The legacy of guilt — whether Catholic or Calvinist — that still lingers in our nervous systems.
As I explore their history, I explore mine.