'Longing for the sea' 11 penetrating stories about what is going on in the world.


Storytelling is an age old way of transferring information. What's going on in the world? What happens when we connect to our deepest inner drives in life? How can we do that together? It is Peter van der Vliet's longing to show this through these stories.

More reading: www.vandervliet.nu (in Dutch)

Storytelling is an ancient form of knowledge transfer. What's going on in the world? What happens when we connect with what drives us deeply in our lives? How can we do that together? It is Peter van der Vliet's desire to show this through these stories.

Peter on 'Longing for the sea':

“When I ask people in a circle the question: 'Tell me...' and people tell their story, something special always happens. When people really listen, hearts open, the emotion is felt, it becomes clear how things are, masks are removed. Storytelling is an ancient form of knowledge transfer. Three questions are central to the eleven stories:

  • what is going on in the world? (what are the underlying patterns?)
  • are you creating the world you really want? (we sometimes do things because it's grown that way, while our hearts tell us otherwise)
  • how can we do that together? (this time sets very different requirements for successful behavior and (own) leadership, what are those new requirements?)

In addition to a story book, I also saw a 'look and feel book' in front of me, with beautiful photos of the polder landscape and the Kagerplassen, in the middle of the Green Heart of the Randstad. The beautiful photos make it easy to get into the experience of the story, to feel what the stories are about. In the summer of 2012, eleven stories were told about a new healthcare system, a new politics/governance, free energy, security, local currencies, building communities, corporate social responsibility, the influence of your social background and how people get moving. .

A quote from Peter in the book: “What really touched me in these conversations is that in some stories the experience of connection is so close, while living past it. That people look from their own reality and paradigms and therefore miss exactly certain things. That there is still that separation. That is where the drive comes from to bundle these stories. Guys, come take a look with me! That is how the book was born. With the freedom to take out those things that appeal to you at that moment or that can help in your growth of consciousness.”

Peter can be booked for a presentation/lecture at an occasion where the question of how to make movement in tough issues is discussed, for example about conflicting interests between parties/chain partners. In his presentation he connects the personal ('what can I do') with the system level and the participants experience how close the experience of unity is.

More information: www.vandervliet.nu