the opposite of big
DESCRIPTION
Ulricehamn municipalityTRANSCRIPT
The opposite of big
Live
I’d like to say something that I don’t believe many residents of Ulricehamn think about. It’s about Ulricehamn and
why it is one of the best places in the world to live.
It’s almost a year since my partner Linda and I, and our one-year old son Liam, moved here from Stockholm. But
we’re still grateful for all the things that most people here seem to take for granted.
In Ulricehamn, for example, almost everyone lives in a detached house with a garden, garage and a view that we
never dreamed of having in our old hometown. Here it is just the norm. Right in the centre of Ulricehamn there is
an open-air swimming baths, a marina and a quiet beach. You just have to cycle a kilometre or so to reach a slalom ski
slope, tennis courts, riding stables, golf course and all the football and ice hockey facilities you could want. I only know
of a few other places that can offer so much within such easy reach (and one of them is Gröna Lund amusement park!).
And if you enjoy cycling, the cycle paths will take you further into wonderful countryside along glittering shorelines
through peaceful local communities such as Marbäck, Timmele and Grönahög.
The area is also so safe that people with children a little older than our son are happy to let them go to the beach
themselves, visit friends, etcetera. This is a real privilege in our eyes, but once again it’s taken for granted in Ulricehamn.
Daniel Lundin, resident of Ulricehamn
Thoughts of a newcomer
Children always want the biggest of everything. Make it big and give them plenty of it and they’ll be happy. Then
they grow up and their perspectives change. Things are no longer quite so black and white. There are million of
colours and shades in between, and they all have different aspects to consider.
You realise, for example, that while an SUV looks big and tough, a smaller car is cheaper to run and better for the
environment. An MP3 player with a massive hard disk can store thousands of tunes, but with a CD player you listen
to tracks that you might skip otherwise and give them a chance to grow on you. You also find that it’s more enjoyable
to travel in a small boat in wide open spaces, rather than jostle with others on a big one. Imagine if you were told that
when you were a child; that something that seems small can actually be big!
Less is more
Experience
There are many people who want to do it and there are
many who think they are doing it. The reality is different.
Going your own way means exploring uncharted territory.
You can’t check out what your neighbour is doing or has
done (even if you wanted to).
Eventually you become the one that everyone else is talking
Going your own wayabout, since you stand out and don’t fit the same mould.
You add a splash of colour. This worries some people, who
mutter in frustration to themselves behind the curtains.
But the vast majority of people find non-conformity
refreshing and take inspiration from it. Luckily for us, otherwise
the world would soon end up as one enormous motorway.
So who is this Jante? That’s the wrong question. Despite what
many people believe, Jante is not a person.
It is a village in the book “A refugee crosses
his tracks”, by Norwegian author Aksel
Sandemose, published in 1933. The
village is ruled by Jante Law, an
unspoken rule that says that no
one should strive to stand out.
Jante Law fosters a fearful and
mediocre society. Being proud and
happy over what you are, what you
possess and what is around you should
be a central human right. At the same time
it can be difficult to get the balance right.
In spite of everything it often seems that
whatever it is you want to tell people about and
share with others comes over as self-satisfied
bragging. So starting your speech with a tale
about a certain Jante can be a very useful
rhetorical trick …
Do
The trick is making it happen. Like they say: there are talkers, and there are doers.
The world depends on these doers. They dare to believe in something so strongly
that they succeed in coaxing their dreams out from the cosy world of the imagination
into the harsh light of reality. Sometimes it works out well – and sometimes it doesn’t.
But whatever the outcome, it is always better than doing nothing at all and letting our
dreams remain dreams – at least as long as we don’t fail too badly. But there are also
those who simply don’t care if they do fail dismally. They are the people we later call
geniuses or fools, depending on whether they succeed or not.
It’s not difficult towork out what you want …
