Saturday, September 08, 2012

Bye, Bye Love

Last night I watched "Bye, Bye Love" which was a sort of comedy about three divorced Dads and how they passed the children back and forth.  It was actually very sad.  I am thankful I never had to live that way with my family.

One of the quotes which I probably won't remember exactly was something like "Divorced people are the most unhappy in the world except for married Scandinavians."  Since I am a large part Scandinavian I would like to know exactly what they are referring to. 

We did hear the quote in Sweden that "Two is a crowd" or something like that.

Does this mean Scandinavians are happier alone????  I hope it just means they can be happy alone but it is curious.

I read the following in an article in 'Kwintessential'--now I know why I am not competitive!  My parents raised me that way!

One of the key characteristics of Swedish culture is that Swedes are egalitarian in nature, humble and find boasting absolutely unacceptable. In many ways, Swedes prefer to listen to others as opposed to ensuring that their own voice is heard.

When speaking, Swedes speak softly and calmly. It is rare that you were witness a Swede demonstrating anger or strong emotion in public.

Behaviours in Sweden are strongly balanced towards ‘lagom’ or, ‘everything in moderation’. Excess, flashiness and boasting are abhorred in Sweden and individuals strive towards the middle way. As an example, work hard and play hard are not common concepts in Sweden. People work hard but not too hard, they go out and enjoy themselves, but without participating in anything extreme.

Due to the strong leaning towards egalitarianism in Sweden, competition is not encouraged and children are not raised to believe that they are any more special than any other child.

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