You've indicated that we want quick actions and speedy results. Our culture seems to have a difficult time thinking long term, as we have noted over and over again. We've disconnected ourselves as well as our children and their education from nature. We (well not US but the powers that be) seem intent on doing more of what we already see doesn't work. The very definition of insanity is at play in our institutions, and not just the kind you can get committed to.
Here's an interesting info-graphic I found:
I can't help wondering more about our Finnish friends. If their educational system is superior, the country has debt under control, individuals save more than Americans, and they rank near the top on the happiness scale, we have to wonder why. How much could the simple answer of valuing nature and time outdoors account for their success in those areas?
For those of us who are naturalists by heart one of the most important things is simple observation. Studying the natural cycles of things, cause and effect, and the intricacies we see train us to look carefully. In order to observe in such a way as to learn anything one must slow down. In reality, one must stop. Think how stillness, even the idea of stillness is so hard to grasp in our noisy multi-tasking culture. How about the concepts of silence and solitude? People often ask what your favorite song is, but no one ever seems to ask what your favorite sound in nature is...
I might take this notion a bit farther and relate our decline in positive attitudes about saving up for things and avoiding debt to an agriculturally based lifestyle. If there is one thing nature teaches it is patience. It also teaches investing. It also teaches, and perhaps this is most important of all, hope. Working with nature, whether in farming, gardening, beekeeping, or working to protect the environment involves investing now and reaping the benefit later. Tending to the small things now so as to have an increased reward in the future. No one ever put a seed in the ground devoid of hope. The very activity is infused with an expectation of something good.
In America we've replaced these activities with immediate gratification through consumption and entertainment. We've "shallowed everything up" (I just now coined that phrase!). It's everywhere, from our lack of depth in relationships, to our lack of depth in thought. But the Finns aren't living in trees without technology, so what gives?
Certainly we see in Scandinavian countries bustling cities, people using their I-phones, and socializing. Could the difference between us and them be that they have learned the art of taking moments to observe? Have they simply found a way to balance all of those things better than we do? Americans tend to trend toward the extremes of things. A healthy center seems elusive to us, often personally and as a nation.
Let me relate this to your current post on your own blog as well. The Finns seem to be such a friendly and open people, while here (as you point out), fear is at a premium. It keeps us isolated and wary. We miss opportunities for positive relationships and social encounters due to our fears. Question: How much of what our Finnish friends have is possible because of the relative smallness of the country and having far less regionalism, racism, and cultural isolation (groups who resist assimilation) to deal with? Are they perhaps blessed with something we are incapable of achieving due to the sheer vastness of our country? Are we longing for something that really can't be reproduced here beyond a certain level?
I know how you hate these open ended questions that give you a chance to expound. ;)
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