March 21 , 2021 | by: admin
Helsinki, March 23rd, 1962.Leadersfrom all the Nordic nations gathered in the Finnish capital to see which Nordic values they havein commonand how they can promotecooperationamong their countries. They are all Nordic people after all. Despite thewars,revolutionsand changes inborders, they all sharecommon values. These have beenshapedby their common origins and history, the climate and geography of the area we call theNordics: from Finland in the Baltic Sea to the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland to the West.
That agreement marked the creation of theNordic Council. Call it the European Union of the Nordics. They cooperate in terms oflegislation. And you know what? There has beenfree movementof people for work for over 60 years now. If you are a Nordic citizen, you have even more rights in some cases than if you were an EU citizen. This is one example of perhaps theoldestandstrongest regional cooperationin the world.
But what makes them unique? What are the shared values that have helped shaped the Nordic utopia?
The Nordic Model
So many pages, articles and social media posts have beenwrittenandpublishedabout it. This is about how they do things up there. In all aspects of life: society, economy, people, resources. We are talking about aninclusivemodel.
A model built onvaluessuch as the ability toreduce povertyand sustaingrowthfor decades while trying to close the socialgaps(like between women and men) and reduce the economy’s dependence on fossilfuels. That sounds like a complete definition of the Nordic model, huh?
Just think about it! Taking care of thepeople, so that everyone has the same fair opportunities in life. Taking care of theenvironment.Distributingthe nationalincomeasequallyas possible among the citizens.Growing. Romantic? Maybe. Realistic? For sure in the Nordics.
Down to five
You know the Nordic people. They like to sit down,discussand come up withdecisions. So, they decided. These are the5 basic Nordic values, that span their societies and economies.
- Preserving theenvironmentandnaturalresources. Working for sustainable growth and development
- New ways ofthinking,creativityandinnovation. Using everyone’s talents to tackle problems and come up with new things to improve life.
- Opennessandtransparency. There is nothing to hide. Media and the public have access to everything and everybody can form and share an opinion openly and publicly.
- Compassionandequality. We are all the same and have the same value regardless of gender, age, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation, race or any other personal trait.
- Trust. Not only in our family and friends but also to strangers, even institutions. More trust equals less control and stress.
There are so many lessons to learn from the Nordics. The way they share their common values, what unites them. And the way they focus on what is really important in life. Happy #NordicDay!
