Amsterdam Flower Market

This April has been cold but some plants need to go in the ground outside. A friend gave me fifty lilies from Holland with the instructions that they needed to be planted by this weekend. So the lily bulbs and some other ones I have, mostly from Holland, will go in the ground tomorrow. Holland seems to be the place for flower growing bulbs.

Back in 1994 my wife and I made a tour of Europe starting off visiting a friend who lives outside of Amsterdam. While in Amsterdam we visited the Flower Market. While most cities in USA have farmers markets, and in Guatemala craft markets, in Holland the flower markets are the place to be.

In Holland health care, education, basic needs are provided to anyone by the government. People, even those who are rich, do not seem to mind paying taxes for these services for everyone. The role of the government is for the common good and that is okay.

Laws are loose about such things as prostitution and drugs but there seems to be less abuse of sex or drugs than in other counties.

My friend and his wife both came to Holland for various reasons but ending up staying, as their now-adult children have.

Flowers and bikes are everywhere in Holland. While the bikes look very much alike and reflect the unity and practicality of Holland, the flowers display the diversity and rich color of the culture.

Holland, in my mind, represents the opposite of the American culture where there are more cars than people and individualism reigns over the common good.

So tomorrow when I go out to plant the bulbs, I will remember the beauty of a society where the common good is a priority over the individual.

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