Today December 6th Finland celebrates its sovereignty, a country 98 years in the making but still in search of itself.
I think I’ve followed the path of most Finnish men – kindergarten, school, military, university, work but I still feel I don’t really belong, an outsider in the country I was born in. I’ve come to realize that in spite of Finland being a country of only some 5 million, there are vast differences between its inhabitants and it’s not just me.
My mother tongue is Swedish and I didn’t really start speaking Finnish until I was 20. I watched Swedish and international television until I moved out so my cultural knowledge is diluted and I’ve lived on the internet for more than 15 years, getting to know people all around the world while not noticing the ones around me.
That’s why I don’t get the discussion on borders, immigration and patriotism. Globalism is do get and everything is just going to become more intertwined. The main thing keeping me in my fatherland is family and perhaps the stability of our way of life, not a common heritage. Let’s look forward to a borderless world with respect for all decent ways of life and equality for all.
Happy independence day.
Forthzine - Jonas Forth 