When thinking about what is at the core of Finnishness, the first things that come to my mind are modesty, nature and perseverance. These are attributes and values that many Finnish relate to, and that we like to underline when talking about Finland abroad.
For work and everyday life Finnish people modesty and perseverance are highly respected – sometimes subconsciously. Being modest is a quality that seems to be praised or at least expected in Finland: it is not said directly but implied that we shouldn’t make a big deal of ourselves and keep our achievements to ourselves. Highly valuing modesty is an unfortunate value, since we have so many things to be proud of: nature, education system, social security, safety and interesting history. We have worked a lot for everything we have today, so we should be proud of how far we’ve come. And this should apply to individuals and their achievements as well.
Perseverance or in Finnish ‘sisu’, is something we like to be proud of. It is considered a Finnish personality trait that helped us evolve from a poor country to a leading example of a welfare state. Perseverance is also something we like to put on a pedestal when talking about our road to independence and holding on to it. Finland has a very high percentage of people willing to defend our country in a military conflict, and I think one reason for this is the idea of perseverance – you should not give up no matter how hard it gets. But of course, in day-to-day life this can be a double-edged sword.
The Finnish nature, ranging from thousands of lakes to large forests to the archipelago, is unique. Even though an increasing number of people nowadays are living in cities, we still have the mentality of being close to nature and valuing it in a special way. The rich culture and folklore we have related to nature is one of my favourite things about Finnish culture, and I wish it was spoken more about.
Core Finnishness in my opinion is calmness, valuing hard work and being close to nature. Whether or not every Finnish person relates to these, I think many would be willing to defend them if needed.
#perseverance #nature
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