The Hague: Noureddine Amrani

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands began his annual Christmas address by posing the question: What kind of world do we want to leave for future generations? He said, among other things, "They will not find this space in a world where mistakes are punished too harshly, a world where young people fear being judged and held accountable for their appearance, background, sexual orientation, or performance."

The King also added a personal touch to his message by recalling the moment he became a father.

"Although our daughters are adults now, I still remember very well what it was like. Your world suddenly becomes very small, everything stops, everything becomes relative, except for that little being in your arms. You want to protect them from all harm, you want to make them happy. This natural feeling is very strong, even during many restless nights."

Sander Paulus commented that the speech was remarkably personal because of this point: "He started rather quickly by talking about his daughters and what it means to have a child and what happens to you afterward, and that served as a prelude to the question he posed about what we do with the world we create for our children."

The King seems to clearly see how our world has become filled with developments he doesn't view positively: a culture of accountability, dictatorships, environmental pollution, and "soulless, powerful algorithms to which we have become slaves."

However, he concluded his speech with a message of hope: the Christmas story takes us back to basics, and we can all feel like a newborn child—a new beginning for all of us. The future is open. The light is back; we have passed the shortest day of the year.