Norwegian values are rooted in egalitarianideals. At the beginning of the 20th cen- tury, they began enacting fairly radical welfare laws, culminating in the post-war years ’sweeping reforms that turned Norway into the progressive welfare state it is today. The welfare state is still the ideal for most. Norwegians, not least because it seems to be doing quite well .
Norway undoubtedly has one of the best welfare systems in the world, making sure that people who are sick and unable to work, or who are unemployed for whatever reason are not left out in the cold, but are given support so that they are able to live with dignity. This, coupled with a strong public education system and public health care system, has lead to a society in which it is easier to bounce back from a bad start in life, or a bad year. We like to think that it is these ideals, and not just our monetary wealth, that has made the United Nations consistently rank Norway as the best country in which to live in recent years.Norway
The Nobel Peace Prize: Another connection with peace work is that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Norway by a Norwegian jury. Some may think of it as the Academy Awards for politicians, but it’s an important institution helping give resources, publicity and credibility to the unselfish few who struggle against the grain to create a lasting peace. Despite being instituted by the man who invented dynamite (he was Swedish, by the way), it’s still the most prestigious peace prize, considered the most important recognition of the ultimate political achievement. It is arguably the single most important award in the world.
The social Norwegian: The reputation that Norwegians have for being unsociable is thoroughly disproved several times a year. Norway’s National Day celebrations on May 17th, for instance. The National Day celebrates Norway’s first Constitution of 1814, and is a celebration of spring and warm weather. The traditional way of celebrating this is to dress up in one’s finest clothes - often the national costumes ‘bunad’ - and take to the streets (which are cleared of cars for the occasion) in great throngs to enjoy parades, music and performances. It can be quite spectacular.
A new lifestyle: It should also be noted that the typical Norwegian way of life, if such a notion still makes sense, is changing rapidly, and that the last two generations’ lifestyle have had an incredible impact on the shape and structure of Norwegian society and the Norwegian mentality. The young tend to travel much more than their parents and grandparents, they spend far more time and money at restaurants and bars, and they are less prone to the simple outdoor life that Norwegians traditionally lived. With the unprecedented levels of economic wealth now enjoyed by most Norwegians, many prefer to travel the world for their holidays – or they build big luxury cabins that wouldn’t have been considered a “hytte twenty years ago. What people do, how they define themselves, is changing drastically with each generation. Today, people are trying to find a place in information economy. Education patterns; gender roles and family structures; social patterns and habits; values and cultural status: it’s all changing with each passing month. What Norway is, is hard to define. But that this is an important time in Norwegian history is for certain.
Norway undoubtedly has one of the best welfare systems in the world, making sure that people who are sick and unable to work, or who are unemployed for whatever reason are not left out in the cold, but are given support so that they are able to live with dignity. This, coupled with a strong public education system and public health care system, has lead to a society in which it is easier to bounce back from a bad start in life, or a bad year. We like to think that it is these ideals, and not just our monetary wealth, that has made the United Nations consistently rank Norway as the best country in which to live in recent years.Norway
The Nobel Peace Prize: Another connection with peace work is that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Norway by a Norwegian jury. Some may think of it as the Academy Awards for politicians, but it’s an important institution helping give resources, publicity and credibility to the unselfish few who struggle against the grain to create a lasting peace. Despite being instituted by the man who invented dynamite (he was Swedish, by the way), it’s still the most prestigious peace prize, considered the most important recognition of the ultimate political achievement. It is arguably the single most important award in the world.
The social Norwegian: The reputation that Norwegians have for being unsociable is thoroughly disproved several times a year. Norway’s National Day celebrations on May 17th, for instance. The National Day celebrates Norway’s first Constitution of 1814, and is a celebration of spring and warm weather. The traditional way of celebrating this is to dress up in one’s finest clothes - often the national costumes ‘bunad’ - and take to the streets (which are cleared of cars for the occasion) in great throngs to enjoy parades, music and performances. It can be quite spectacular.
A new lifestyle: It should also be noted that the typical Norwegian way of life, if such a notion still makes sense, is changing rapidly, and that the last two generations’ lifestyle have had an incredible impact on the shape and structure of Norwegian society and the Norwegian mentality. The young tend to travel much more than their parents and grandparents, they spend far more time and money at restaurants and bars, and they are less prone to the simple outdoor life that Norwegians traditionally lived. With the unprecedented levels of economic wealth now enjoyed by most Norwegians, many prefer to travel the world for their holidays – or they build big luxury cabins that wouldn’t have been considered a “hytte twenty years ago. What people do, how they define themselves, is changing drastically with each generation. Today, people are trying to find a place in information economy. Education patterns; gender roles and family structures; social patterns and habits; values and cultural status: it’s all changing with each passing month. What Norway is, is hard to define. But that this is an important time in Norwegian history is for certain.
