Scandinavian Life

It has been pretty busy around here now that the weather has been amazing the past week. It has been sunny and around 70-80*F all week with very little rain. The sun is a bit more dangerous than back home due to the proximity of the country. The rate for skin cancer is much higher here in Sweden than most other countries, especially when everyone tries to soak it in as much as possible since winter is a dark, cold time. It has made painting a friend's house very relaxing. The humidity is basically non-existent and the ocean breeze keeps everything even keel. Other than that, Erek and I just finished our first Midsommar experience over last weekend and the U.S. suffered a frustrating loss in the World Cup. I have watched more soccer in the past weeks than ever in my entire life--it is actually exciting despite the pansy-esque "diving" and whiny faces. I will talk more about Midsommar and other things in the coming days, but for now I would like to list a chapter from the book I have been reading. The book my dad had given me, "In Cod We Trust," has been quite interesting in that most of it has literally been a repetition of what Erek and I have experienced. The author, Eric Dregni, details his year long journey in Norway with his family, describing everything from minor differences to the unique lifestyle of the Norwegian inhabitants. It feels has if he turned his blog into a full book--a lot of things similar upon my arrival in Sweden. Since most of us back in the states never study or hear much of anything about Norway, let alone Scandinavia, I have decided to type a chapter from his book. I believe this chapter lays out in great summarization the typical lifestyle and views of the people in Scandinavia. Though Sweden, Norway, and Finland are quite different in many respects, they all share similar views upon how life is approached. Unless one has relatives, is from Minnesota or North Dakota, or chooses to study the Nordic countries in school, most do not learn a single thing about these countries, other than how they are portrayed by American comics or television series'. I know that this isn't a depiction of every single Swede, but I think it will help those who do not know much about Scandinavian values--different, but effective way of looking at life. With that said, here you go!

"In Cod We Trust"

Living the Norwegian Dream

A simple yearlong residency permit meant the Norwegian government would take care of us and pay for the birth of our first baby. A pamphlet we received from the Royal Ministry of Health and Social Affairs confirmed, "Compulsorily insured under the National Insurance Scheme are all persons resident or working in Norway."

No wonder Norway has had the highest quality of life rating for years. "It's not that we buy more things or have more things, it's that we are guaranteed a high standard of living," an American living in Oslo told me. "We don't have two cars, we take the bus; we can probably count the number of times that we go out to eat." While this may not be the American dream of wealth, Norway's system gives a degree of stability and certainty that your health care will be covered, free higher education will be provided, you won't be out on the street if you lose your job, and your pension will be paid by the government.

When Norway was declared to have the highest standard of living for three years in a row, the prime minister told the Norwegian people to stop complaining that they didn't have enough things. About the same time, the Norwegian government was considering a proposal to make public transportation--especially in Oslo--all free.

SIDE NOTE FROM ME: The above paragraph is what many other countries disagree with--especially America--people want their own things--be able to buy whatever they'd like--free society--which I completely understand and think is good--it seemed as if Norway compromised with its society in having free transportation--as if to make a point that if the people are beginning to rebel, then win them over again by supplementing them with a small add-on--could be read the wrong way, but sometimes governments aren't always trying to scam the people--some do good for the better of human life--I strongly believe this is true in Norway.

Book Continued---

The welfare system was paid for by high taxes, especially income tax, which didn't seem to raise the rancor that it would in the United States. Many people in Norway were proud of their welfare system, but Norwegian modesty kept them from bragging. "It's the system we have chosen," Sissel, my second Norwegian teacher, told me matter-of-factly, "and I'm happy to pay the taxes for it."

Happy to pay taxes for welfare? I'd been surprised to hear nearly identical views from many Norwegians, which was one of the main reasons that Norway refused to join the European Union. No one wanted to give up this comprehensive welfare system that helped all Norwegians.

Growing up in Minnesota, I was always taught by my dad that Scandinavian society was some sort of utopian system that helps everyone. When asked why we were in Norway, I joked that Katy and I were on assignment to discover the secrets of the Norwegian welfare system by having a baby. Katy was not amused.

When my great-grandfather Ellef left the Lusterfjord, Norway was the poorest country in Europe. Norwegians left in droves; more than 750,000 emigrated. This was the largest per capita emigration from Europe after Ireland.

After the discovery of oil and natural gas in the 1960's, along with tapping into the country's waterways for hydroelectric power, Norway became the richest country in Europe. Thanks to the massive oil reserves found in the North Sea, Norway is the third largest oil exporter. "The rest of Europe calls Norwegians 'The blue-eyed Arabs,'" Knut told me. Rather than letting Philips Petroleum do the drilling, the Norwegian government set up its own oil company, Statoil. The money goes into the oljefondet (oil fund) to support the government and keep taxes relatively low for this welfare system.

"Norway is rich not only because of Statoil," said Knut, "but also because as a country we've made a decision to share our resources with each other, like people in Sweden and Finland do. We're founded on a fusion between social solidarity and a democratic ideal. Therefore we don't have the poor like you do in the United States--or the crime, for that matter."

"Now in Norway we have oil and gas, so we are strong," our landlord, Arne, told me. "At least we think we are strong."

With the affluence came multinational corporations trying to capitalize on the newfound wealth. Arne was worried.

"Some of us Norwegians consider Norway to be the fifty-first state. Because we have McDonalds, Burger Kings, and all that, some Norwegians think that we're just like America."

I told him that I didn't see it that way. Norway has kept its character in spite of these growth spurts.

"That's good," he responded.

Still, I expected Norway to be clean and spotless like Switzerland. In general the farms and towns were tidy, but this new influx of fast food--O'Martins hamburger joints and 7-11 convenience stores--led to litter around these stores.

In a way, I was relieved to find a blemish on paradise, and thankful that Norway was relaxed and not too fastidious. In the balmy summer, hairy men fresh off the beach walked around the grocery without shirt or shoes. One day, I went into a Narvesen Kiosk to buy a pen but couldn't find anyone to help me. I heard a toilet flush in back, and the clerk came out of the bathroom zipping up his fly and tucking in his shirt. When I offered to pay for one of the Bic pens, he let me keep it. "Shh, it is OK," he said.

In Norway, the concept of trespassing is vastly different. Swimmers can take a dip in the water no matter who owns the property, and hikers can supposedly camp out wherever they want for one night. I felt an air of permissiveness permeating the society that I thought made Norwegians far more relaxed than their American counterparts. That is, apart from the social norms of Janteloven to keep the people in line. Also, strict laws in some areas, such as those against alcohol, underscored the social engineering to try to better the country. Still, Norway has one of the lowest murder rates in the world, in spite of 720,000 registered firearms.

Those who do commit heinous crimes spend a maximum sentence of twenty-one years in prison. "But no one stays more than about five years in jail," my Norwegian teacher Sissel said only somewhat sarcastically. Rather than sometimes regressive punishments for the accused, the Norwegian government wants to reintegrate criminals into society so they aren't a burden. Therefore, criminals often spend five years in jail and get an education. "It's just like going to the university, only you leave jail without debt accrued from paying for room and board," Sissel said as she showed me a photo in our Norwegian textbook of a jail cell with homey wooden walls and a view of the fjord that looked better than student housing.

Being thrown in the clink in Norway isn't all bad, and the government picks up the bill. "See that?" a cab driver asked me one day pointing out the window. "That's Norway's second largest jail, but there are only about 10 percent Norwegians in there. The rest are people from other countries who come here and then commit a crime. It's really more like a hotel. They each have their own room with TVs and Internet access. Some have even studied to become lawyers while they were in jail, and the Norwegian government paid for everything. It's better to be a prisoner in a Norwegian jail than free in Albania or Belarus."

Despite some anti-immigrant feeling, newspapers reported that the population of Norway would actually decline without these new arrivals, and, once again, the welfare system accommodates them.

This social-democratic idea of wealth redistribution and equality extends to the workplace, where the wage gap between entry-level workers and CEOs doesn't begin to approach the obscene levels reached by many U.S. companies. Shannon, a Canadian living in Norway, said, "Back home when someone is rich and has been successful, people say, 'Good for you!' Here in Norway, I feel that people are very jealous if someone makes a lot more money. Many don't even think that their boss should make more than they do. I think you lose the incentive here to get a higher education or take risks like starting your own business."

SIDE NOTES: As you can see there are definite pros and cons to every way of living, but it is always nice to hear about how other people go about in this world--it is nice to know there isn't one way to go about it.

Continued....

"Everyone's income is public knowledge and is even listed on the internet," said Arild, an engineer for a small oil exploration business. I responded that people are probably very respectful of each other's privacy, right? "No way," he responded. "The day after the list income, everyone comes to work, and they are all very angry that so and so makes a little bit more. Often, it's not even a dollar more, but it causes many arguments."

Sissel added, "If you see that your neighbor makes a million kronor and the responsibilities in his job description don't really fit what he's being paid for, you can report them. This rarely happens, but the idea of it keeps people honest." Janteloven has found new legs with the internet.

Does it keep salaries more even? "Yes," confirmed Arild, "but then people figure that a regular construction worker can go to work right away and get a paycheck because he requires no education. Compared to that of a higher-paid manager or engineer who get years of education--and debt--the lifetime earning is about the same."

"I know a lot of people who live off the system and don't want to work," Rachel said. "They get a doctor to say that they're unable to work, and then they just receive money from the government."

I blushed because I was accepting the Norwegian government's health care and free university tuition. While I agreed with Sissel that I was "happy to pay taxes" because I was receiving so much in return, I soon understood what these higher taxes meant. Gasoline was five times what it cost in the U.S. The government even wanted to tax us on boxes of our own stuff that we shipped from Minnesota to ourselves in Norway. With this big government taxing--and helping--the Norwegians, it's no wonder that Oslo beat out Tokyo as the world's most expensive city.

THOUGHTS:

That chapter laid out the beliefs of the Scand. world fairly well. After talking and living in Sweden, a lot of the same "unity" beliefs are the same, but I believe Norway is a bit more strict in certain areas. Though the thought of their sense of helping one another is very appealing in the success of the human race as a whole, I still believe governments like the U.S. are right in paying specific salaries. Though we do not want every profession to be completed for money only, it makes sense to pay those who invest more time and work ethic and care. The ultimate goal for life is not making the most money, but rather finding a craft or way of survival that is sustainable and enjoyable and worth trying to perfect. If one truly enjoys helping people and aiding the sick, then a doctor should not worry about how much he or she is paid. It shouldn't be about the money, but rather improving our human race in existence--no one should help someone just for the money--eventually the work will be half-assed and lead to more problems with other people. But because of school finances, supporting a family, and the amount of hours worked throughout a year, I believe a doctor should get paid much more than one who may cut the grass. I also believe that we should help those on welfare--instead of complaining about those who "sit on their ass all day," saying that they are taking our money, we should just help them. I know every bit of money helps, especially when living in the U.S., but I sometimes feel that we are so ingrained with having to get money from the day we are born (in the U.S.), that we lose sight with what is actually important in life to find to ultimate happiness (I also believe that this happiness lies within mostly little things each day--we live for each day--long term accomplishment coupled with minor endorphin releasing happenings make ultimate happiness). Besides, if one feels that someone should not take his or her money for welfare taxes, then they should just switch places if they think sitting on their ass and receiving money is nice. Most people who receive welfare aren't at their utmost happiness--they may be content with their simple, comfortable lives, but they will never experience the euphoric-like emotions that come with accomplishment and discovering new things or learning new crafts and helping others. There is no sense of fulfillment--so if someone wants to live this boring, drone-like life, then sure they can take some of my money--since that is not what is going to prove my worth or sense of fulfillment.

This is what makes unveiling the best form of government very difficult because it is nearly impossible to have both forms of thinking together due to the incompatible nature of each. Where one wants their own things and life, another wants to share and help the great majority. I know that is a very vague, bold statement, but I'm just trying to explain my thoughts.

Anyway, I am sure most could care less about my comments since others have mostly been arguing these thoughts for years--I mainly wanted to give a small summary of another country that most do not know much about, and to show the differences and how some things are better and other things are lacking. I just find it interesting how Norway has so much oil and is a very rich, expensive country, but we rarely hear anything of them and issues regarding other parts of the world.

I'm tired as Hell--good night world