Event Recap & Thanks | PhD Café | Tilburg

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this PhD Café!

At the end of last month, we hosted a inspiring evening conversation titled "As the one next to you: How theological reflection can contribute to care provision." A massive thank you to our guest speaker, Dick de Jong, for sharing his insights and experiences regarding his background as a hospital chaplain and his doctoral research on care ethics. His reflections shed light on the reciprocal nature of care, highlighting how both caregivers and receivers contribute to and gain from these vital relationships.

We also want to extend our gratitude to our attendees for their active participation, openness, and reflecting together.

Conversations like these are crucial for fostering understanding the diverse motivations for working within it and further reflecting on our social relations. We look forward to continuing the dialogue with you at the next PhD Café!

During the lecture, Dick challenged us to rethink the traditional dynamics between caregiver and care receiver. He emphasized that this relationship should be fundamentally reciprocal. This means that professionals and loved ones can take a moment to reflect on what providing care actually brings them, while care receivers are given the space to recognize the unique contribution they make simply by asking for care. This shift in perspective removes the one-sided hierarchy from the care relationship and places human vulnerability and equality at the center.

Additionally, his theological vision offered a valuable lens for looking at the current care sector with a critical and open mind. The presentation opened the doors for an honest dialogue about the diverse—both religious and secular—motivations that drive people to dedicate themselves to care. By making these deeper, often unspoken motivations open for discussion, we not only create more mutual connection, but we also lay a stronger, more meaningful foundation for the way we care for one another in our society.

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