After almost twenty years living in Finland, there is a small phrase that still catches my attention. It is the conventional politeness formula: “ole hyvä.” Literally it means “be good.” You might see it on signs or hear it when they give you your coffee. The English translation is usually “please,” which works well enough,…
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Freedom: A Western Anxiety
Many men today speak passionately about the collapse of Western society. Women, they say, no longer respect them. Gender roles are in chaos. Children grow up without fathers, if they are born at all. Immigration worries them, particularly from Islamic countries. “These backward people,” they say, “do not respect our hard-earned freedoms. If we let…
Continue reading“You think you’re cool, but you’re not”
We’re very happy —and pleasantly surprised— that our local school allows our "homeschooled" daughter to attend classes from time to time. Unlike what many might assume, Siela has plenty of friends there; she isn’t bullied or excluded, quite the opposite. Still, this new arrangement seems to be causing a small revolution in the minds of…
Continue readingThe Drama of Belonging: A Reflection on Finland’s Coming-of-Age Tradition
The other day I was discussing with a friend whether Finland is more religious than Spain. The conversation came up because her son’s rippikoulu — the Lutheran confirmation rite — was approaching. She disagreed with me: ‘Finland isn’t religious,’ she said. ‘It’s just something people do.’ And she’s not wrong. On the surface, Finland appears…
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