My concept of Finnishness

For me being a Finn is all about being calm and giving people around you a lot of space. In general I think it’s a good thing, Finnish people are usually very easy to have around even if you don’t know them. Finns are very aware of their surroundings, very fast to notice if they are blocking a doorway or taking too much space in public transport. Instead of everyone taking their own place we try to avoid disturbing others whenever possible.

Sometimes this is taken to comical and even absurd proportions. Classic example is when someone has a window seat on a full bus and needs to leave, willing to go into extreme lengths just to avoid having to tell the other person to move, resorting to an awkward psychological sign language instead.

For me this is the essence of Finnishness both in good and bad. While I know of some other somewhat “introverted” cultures, I have never seen it taken to this extreme anywhere else. It’s the reason behind many problems here, but it’s also the very reason why I like to come back, as my personal space is always secured.

Another thing that comes to my mind which sets Finland apart from most other countries is cleanliness and orderliness. People born and raised in Finland, including myself, tend to take this for granted but it becomes more than evident while traveling abroad. In Finnish cities it’s very rare to encounter offensive smells, stray animals, broken fences or asymmetrical buildings. Public transport works, customer services are available and work, you get instructions for pretty much everything – most likely in your preferred language as well.

Bill Gates is a fan of Finland and I can see why – we are basically living in Sim City if you compare our standards and practices to most other places in the world. It’s probably the result of the combined forces of welfare, winter and the rather pragmatical mindset of the Finnish people fighting away all signs of dirtiness and disorderliness. It’s almost as scary as it is unique.