Tilburg University, TU/e, and VNO-NCW organized a gathering in the “Kathedralenbouwers” or “Cathedral Builders” series, focused on the theme of democracy. The metaphor they used was that of a cathedral that took centuries to build. 

Multiple generations contributed to its construction, knowing they would never see the finished result. Because they recognized its long-term importance, they dedicated themselves to it.

Afterward, I stepped back into today’s world. A world in which social media posts shape the conversation today and are forgotten again tomorrow. They are served up by algorithms that filter for what aligns with your existing beliefs. This creates digital halls of mirrors: wherever you look, you find confirmation that you are right. Even when your views have little or no merit.

That gives rise to “bubbles” that, for example, regard science and opinions as carrying equal weight in public debate. That is a challenge for democracy, but also for science. Because those who no longer doubt never learn anything new and stop developing.

For science, doubt is the fuel. And doubt begins with curiosity, and therefore with being open to other perspectives. As a well-known fictional soccer coach once said on television: be curious, not judgmental.

To me, that principle is very much part of the mission of universities. As closed institutions, they cannot help build the society of tomorrow. External influences and new perspectives are essential.

Alumni are an important source of those influences. They take the knowledge they have gained into the wider world, apply it, and enrich it through their experiences. Armed with that experience, they can help future generations of students and their alma mater.

Is that already happening? Yes. Is it happening enough? Not by a long shot.

How wonderful it would be if universities and their alumni did even more to help one another stay current and continue developing throughout their lives. Together, they would be building—stone by stone—a cathedral of collaboration, progress, discoveries, and above all the mindset that underpins it: be curious.

Edith Snelders is head of office for Alumni Relations and University Fund Eindhoven. The views expressed in this column are her own.

This column was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.