“This could be,
para-para-paradise,
para-para-paradise.”
Coldplay – Paradise

A few days ago I attended recruiting & worklife fair in Jyväskylä congress center. The best offering of the fair was when Arman Alizad gave a speech of his own career, attitude and dreams. I remember how Arman ended his speech on gratitude and what kind of paradise Finland is compared to another countries.

According to the UN Report Finland is the happiest place on the earth. We should celebrate and be rejoice that statically where the happies country on earth. But here’s the problem since we’re statically the happiest country but the happiness is not seen in people living in Finland.

For us Finns equality, women’s right, summer holidays, holida pays, maternity- and paternity leaves, clean water, nature, health care, education system are things that are taken way too granted. Somehow people seem to think that once these things have been obtained they cannot be taken away. However there’s many countries where people have not heard of holiday pays, maternity package or that when you study you’ll actually get money of it. For a woman who gives birth to a death child because of stress and burnout and is almost immediately back to work, it would feel really absurd to start explaining about Finland and our health care system.

For many foreigners Finland really is a paradise, the promised land of wonders, a place where all the dreams can come true. Most of the foreigners are happy to get to Finland and they talk about it in very positive tone. One could imagine that this hinterland of Nordic Countries where there’s a little of sunlight and craziest people on earth would drive the foreigners away. But no! Finland and finnish people are just wonderful!

So it feels a bit absurd that Finland is the happiest country statically but you don’t see that in the people. How I view my world is a question of attitude and I can change mine. The problem is that I can’t change others. It’s a pity that Finns don’t see their own environment as a paradise. I remember my teacher telling a story when se was in Gambia. The goats, rices and all other supplies that were taken there as a gift were divided between the villagers. “The poor gives from the little he has.” Us Finns would have some much to give but instead we’re jealous, reserved nation and we complain more often than say thank you.

Finland is a wonderful country to live and I wish people could be more grateful for what they have. I wish that people here could be more open, rejoice of others success and help others. I wish that Finns would also awake and see the paradise we live in. Though Finland is a paradise for others thus Finns seem to take this country as an underworld: a nest for melancholy and shadowy ghosts. I don’t want to stay in the underworld so when the time is right, I’ll go and search for my paradise.

With love, Anu-Maarit