With the inevitable migration pressures resulting from climate change and political disruptions,
totalitarian regimes are predominating worldwide. Efforts to gain rights for women seem to be regressing. Women and girls are increasingly victims of sexual assault (rape). Some of these oppressions are patriarchal, some are based in relig…
With the inevitable migration pressures resulting from climate change and political disruptions,
totalitarian regimes are predominating worldwide. Efforts to gain rights for women seem to be regressing. Women and girls are increasingly victims of sexual assault (rape). Some of these oppressions are patriarchal, some are based in religious interpretations, others are hierarchal power domination.
In the past, a democratic system held hope that the voices of many would be heard and heeded. That made objectives worth working toward, rather than fleeing, the threats of "moving out of the country." The question has now become "where else can I go?" The looming loss of bodily autonomy, the moral imposition of biologically unrealistic laws, and the resulting loss of life and potential make living in certain states untenable. With the uniquely American existence of gun violence on an epidemic public health scale, lack of security and safety will cause the breakdown of functioning society - no tourism, no public education, no commerce, no peace. Just mounting body counts.
Thank you for your fine words, Beverly. I had a friend tell me yesterday she was thinking about leaving the country and we had a long discussion on where we would go. Perhaps Iceland which treats women like full citizens or the Nordic countries.
Those thoughts have come to my mind too, following this substack. I guess the decay of public life in our small Nordic countries, along with the global trend, will happen sooner than your dreams of them go away. You know how many people live on Iceland? Finland has a remarkable history of male/female relationship. Half of their national myth, Kalevala, is about the marriage between a woman from a matriarch society and a man from a patriarch society.
Splitting the nation in one blue and one red block I suppose is the major migrating project ahead, but that would undo the foundation of that government. Trump may not have gotten it yet, but I'm sure his paymaster Putin has.
Very interesting article; and much of what is said about recent development in Finland also goes for Sweden. Distribution of wealth in Sweden has been going even worse, and is among the worse in Europe. The decay of Social Democracy has been going on for a long time, along with the decay of the Welfare State, but it is still a major part of the national myth that carries us. If Norway and Denmark has been members of NATO for a long time, and still has had Social Democratic governments now and then, I don't see why Finland and Sweden should be any different. This "now and then", I think, is part of a general decay of voting in democracies: voters, lazy and ignorant, tend to vote against a former policy instead of for a coming future; often on very lose ground, and unfair blaming.
Putin has declared war on "nazi"Ukraine, but what he is really scared of is democratic Ukraine. To this end he is successfully supporting right wing extremists all over Europe to cause social splits. I'm glad Sweden has now realized where we also today have our enemy: an attempted Russian empire from Vladivostok to Lisbon. Russian Foreign minister said our former neutrality was serving peace, but what he really thinks he is losing are two small countries, easy to conquer if they have no support, and an easy access to the Atlantic Ocean, which would be the first and easiest step to that Russian empire, after Donbas and the Crimean naval base.
Thank you Olof. I have to admit, it is a bit over my head. It seems to me like we all will be faced with the necessity to accommodate global economic dynamics, whoever we are - that it will become more a question of contingencies within and across national boundaries more than countries opposing or cooperating with each other ... however economic pressures influence regional politics, people on the ground will be challenged to adapt as cultures evolve (or devolve) accordingly.
This leads me to look at guiding principles and 'mythologies' at the root of different cultures that give people the strength to persevere - to identify with heritage more deeply than transient opportunism of current changing times ... as little as I know about root cultures in that part of the world, it seems possible that the Russian proletariat could view Ukrainian culture as fascist (democratic or not) as Ukrainians have fought and survived for a long, long time to preserve ancient traditions (just look at their music, traditional clothing and design art - deep roots!)
I don't know about Swedish culture, but I have seen a bit about the Finnish Kalevala - more than a myth, an ancient song with associated dance patterns - I have the impression this 'creation myth' is more than just a story - more, a dynamic methodology embodying creative process guiding cultural character and growth - which is why traditions are considered so vital to cultural integrity.
Compare that to the motivating mythology and non-traditional trending of popular culture in the more materialistic industrialized consumer society threatening to subsume traditions that distinguish cultures, one from another into an amorphous mass of humanity - maybe one reason so many people commit suicide in this 'happiest' of all countries by modern standards.
I wonder if this is reflected in the part of the Kalevala that refers to the old oak tree that grows so big, it takes all the ground so nothing else can grow - blots out the sunlight, keeps the winds from circulating - not even the birds can fly - how can the living world survive? The old God, Vainamoinen calls to the Mother Ocean to send him a water hero to help solve the problem. Out of the water comes a little person no bigger than the old God's thumb. Long story short, to Vainamoinen's amazement, the little fellow grows and grows until his trousers span the continents and his head pierces the sky. With three mighty steps, he strides across the continents to where the old oak grows. With three mighty strokes of his ax, he fells the old oak which comes crashing down to the ground, splintering into thousands of pieces. People come from every direction to gather the pieces, take them home and use them to build anew.
That is just part of the story that stuck with me, from a book, {{"SUN SONGS - CREATION MYTHS FROM AROUND THE WORLD - edited, introduced with commentary by Raymond Van Over}} ... the story is much longer - and I have a feeling, it is more than just a story - like some other ancient languages in which the sounds and intonation of the words with associated movements compel creative energies as cycles of history circulate through the ages ... legend has it that the world was sung into being ... maybe, if we can find our place in the song today, and bring it forward in what we choose ... maybe that is how we will find our way through these challenging times ... does that make any sense to you?
... and, on that note, though it may seem a bit off topic, this upcoming Sound Healing Summit looks to be full of useful information and serious inspiration toward finding the song of creation as it resonates in the coalescence of today's transforming world ... maybe we - as individuals, nations and cultures are like amoebae combining to form more complex organisms in the ever evolving cosmic body of life ... emerging from the three dimensions\al bind of polarized political strife and contention ... here's the link:
Before I settled on Australia, my then-partner and I tried Denmark (one of my mother's cousins lived there), but they weren't taking anybody. Of course, things may have changed since the 1980s.
Problem of seeking a better place is that where goes the United States eventually goes the world. Witness Nordic countries beginning the same path as the United States. That said I am keeping a long move in back of mind. Canada,NZ or Australia. They may have prohibitive fees so another issue.
Thank You Beverly, for the wake up call. In the U.S. we must go to the streets in protest, door-to-door to educate a bamboozled electorate, and, today, to the airwaves to see a democratic process that still works For The People, All Of Us This Time.
With the inevitable migration pressures resulting from climate change and political disruptions,
totalitarian regimes are predominating worldwide. Efforts to gain rights for women seem to be regressing. Women and girls are increasingly victims of sexual assault (rape). Some of these oppressions are patriarchal, some are based in religious interpretations, others are hierarchal power domination.
In the past, a democratic system held hope that the voices of many would be heard and heeded. That made objectives worth working toward, rather than fleeing, the threats of "moving out of the country." The question has now become "where else can I go?" The looming loss of bodily autonomy, the moral imposition of biologically unrealistic laws, and the resulting loss of life and potential make living in certain states untenable. With the uniquely American existence of gun violence on an epidemic public health scale, lack of security and safety will cause the breakdown of functioning society - no tourism, no public education, no commerce, no peace. Just mounting body counts.
Thank you for your fine words, Beverly. I had a friend tell me yesterday she was thinking about leaving the country and we had a long discussion on where we would go. Perhaps Iceland which treats women like full citizens or the Nordic countries.
(Sweden)
Those thoughts have come to my mind too, following this substack. I guess the decay of public life in our small Nordic countries, along with the global trend, will happen sooner than your dreams of them go away. You know how many people live on Iceland? Finland has a remarkable history of male/female relationship. Half of their national myth, Kalevala, is about the marriage between a woman from a matriarch society and a man from a patriarch society.
Trump republicans seem to be heading for eternal government; of what? Timothy Snyder has written very well about this question. (https://snyder.substack.com/p/a-dream-of-power-an-awakening-to?s=r)
Splitting the nation in one blue and one red block I suppose is the major migrating project ahead, but that would undo the foundation of that government. Trump may not have gotten it yet, but I'm sure his paymaster Putin has.
What do you think of this, Olof?
NATO Membership May Spell the End of Finland and Sweden as Social Democracies
https://truthout.org/articles/nato-membership-may-spell-the-end-of-finland-and-sweden-as-social-democracies/
Very interesting article; and much of what is said about recent development in Finland also goes for Sweden. Distribution of wealth in Sweden has been going even worse, and is among the worse in Europe. The decay of Social Democracy has been going on for a long time, along with the decay of the Welfare State, but it is still a major part of the national myth that carries us. If Norway and Denmark has been members of NATO for a long time, and still has had Social Democratic governments now and then, I don't see why Finland and Sweden should be any different. This "now and then", I think, is part of a general decay of voting in democracies: voters, lazy and ignorant, tend to vote against a former policy instead of for a coming future; often on very lose ground, and unfair blaming.
Putin has declared war on "nazi"Ukraine, but what he is really scared of is democratic Ukraine. To this end he is successfully supporting right wing extremists all over Europe to cause social splits. I'm glad Sweden has now realized where we also today have our enemy: an attempted Russian empire from Vladivostok to Lisbon. Russian Foreign minister said our former neutrality was serving peace, but what he really thinks he is losing are two small countries, easy to conquer if they have no support, and an easy access to the Atlantic Ocean, which would be the first and easiest step to that Russian empire, after Donbas and the Crimean naval base.
Thank you Olof. I have to admit, it is a bit over my head. It seems to me like we all will be faced with the necessity to accommodate global economic dynamics, whoever we are - that it will become more a question of contingencies within and across national boundaries more than countries opposing or cooperating with each other ... however economic pressures influence regional politics, people on the ground will be challenged to adapt as cultures evolve (or devolve) accordingly.
This leads me to look at guiding principles and 'mythologies' at the root of different cultures that give people the strength to persevere - to identify with heritage more deeply than transient opportunism of current changing times ... as little as I know about root cultures in that part of the world, it seems possible that the Russian proletariat could view Ukrainian culture as fascist (democratic or not) as Ukrainians have fought and survived for a long, long time to preserve ancient traditions (just look at their music, traditional clothing and design art - deep roots!)
I don't know about Swedish culture, but I have seen a bit about the Finnish Kalevala - more than a myth, an ancient song with associated dance patterns - I have the impression this 'creation myth' is more than just a story - more, a dynamic methodology embodying creative process guiding cultural character and growth - which is why traditions are considered so vital to cultural integrity.
Compare that to the motivating mythology and non-traditional trending of popular culture in the more materialistic industrialized consumer society threatening to subsume traditions that distinguish cultures, one from another into an amorphous mass of humanity - maybe one reason so many people commit suicide in this 'happiest' of all countries by modern standards.
I wonder if this is reflected in the part of the Kalevala that refers to the old oak tree that grows so big, it takes all the ground so nothing else can grow - blots out the sunlight, keeps the winds from circulating - not even the birds can fly - how can the living world survive? The old God, Vainamoinen calls to the Mother Ocean to send him a water hero to help solve the problem. Out of the water comes a little person no bigger than the old God's thumb. Long story short, to Vainamoinen's amazement, the little fellow grows and grows until his trousers span the continents and his head pierces the sky. With three mighty steps, he strides across the continents to where the old oak grows. With three mighty strokes of his ax, he fells the old oak which comes crashing down to the ground, splintering into thousands of pieces. People come from every direction to gather the pieces, take them home and use them to build anew.
That is just part of the story that stuck with me, from a book, {{"SUN SONGS - CREATION MYTHS FROM AROUND THE WORLD - edited, introduced with commentary by Raymond Van Over}} ... the story is much longer - and I have a feeling, it is more than just a story - like some other ancient languages in which the sounds and intonation of the words with associated movements compel creative energies as cycles of history circulate through the ages ... legend has it that the world was sung into being ... maybe, if we can find our place in the song today, and bring it forward in what we choose ... maybe that is how we will find our way through these challenging times ... does that make any sense to you?
... and, on that note, though it may seem a bit off topic, this upcoming Sound Healing Summit looks to be full of useful information and serious inspiration toward finding the song of creation as it resonates in the coalescence of today's transforming world ... maybe we - as individuals, nations and cultures are like amoebae combining to form more complex organisms in the ever evolving cosmic body of life ... emerging from the three dimensions\al bind of polarized political strife and contention ... here's the link:
https://soundhealingglobalsummit.com/
Peace and Love All,
k. allen
https://tahomahome.weebly.com/
Before I settled on Australia, my then-partner and I tried Denmark (one of my mother's cousins lived there), but they weren't taking anybody. Of course, things may have changed since the 1980s.
Danish attitudes have changed since then, but not for the better in that respect, and Sweden has followed the same path.
Problem of seeking a better place is that where goes the United States eventually goes the world. Witness Nordic countries beginning the same path as the United States. That said I am keeping a long move in back of mind. Canada,NZ or Australia. They may have prohibitive fees so another issue.
Thank You Beverly, for the wake up call. In the U.S. we must go to the streets in protest, door-to-door to educate a bamboozled electorate, and, today, to the airwaves to see a democratic process that still works For The People, All Of Us This Time.