All mixed up!

 
Last Thursday, for the celebration of the WAR, week against racism, (and just for fun)
we arranged a Multicultural Speed-date Evening in Kirjakahvila here in Turku.
The original plan was to reach as many people as possible, from as many cultural
backgrounds s possible.
It was lots of other parties too in Turku, so in the end, it were only few of us there. The range of nationalities was still: Finnish, French, Greekish and Chinese. So, quite a bunch of people.

Whereas immigration and refugee has grown during the last centuries, it has become easy to travel especially when you’re a student. It’s not a wonder if You hear someone behind You in the supermarket speak mandarin china or German. It's almost more common nowadays to have been a exchange-student than not to have been one. So we're globalizing also socially, and as it happens so fast, we may not have the time to actually think what we have in front of our eyes.

That is: our fellow men.

As I sat there tired of the tuff week, I suddenly realized again, how lucky I am.

To be able to spent time with these wonderful, open people, who don’t have a racist bone in their bodies. In fact, quite the opposite. And I'm learning something new, all the time, every minute! Totally free of charge! Now I know that men in China cant marry before their 22, that in France You can still smoke in public places, that Greek women think women in Finland behave against good manners when they speak "like men"... and well, you know. No huge revealing, but eye-openers to others everyday life.

And there we were, all mixed up. Our languages, traditions, and genes.

Under the very same sky, as all of the rest of the mankind.

 -Ninnu

A new world- a better world?

The opprtunity of a lifetime: pick whatever- and whoever you want to take with you, and create a continent of your own. You dont have to pay any attention of the old laws and rules.

In the new society I created, everyone's equal, no matter where you're from, what your ethnic background is. Water and air is clean. School is optional and learning happens by creating and innovating. Theres no money as a payment; instead we exchange food, clothes, books and other items. We grow our own food and can marry (IF it even excists a instituion of marriage) who ever we want. Only ones actions towards others have a meaning in defining wether you are a good person or not.      

Well, as you may allready have quessed, this is a hypotethical scene. Actually, it is a method out of a workshop that had refuge and human rights as a subject.
The idea behind it is to better understand, what goes on in peoples minds when they have to leave their homes and homecountries.
It is, in fact, something that we western people have a hard time imgeining at all. And on the other hand, that's just what we should be able to do in order to help others in need.
During this method excercise, we had the opportunity to choose the ten most important things we want to take with us. And that we did: we chose Coke and Hamburgers instead of democracy, warm clothes instead socialworkers. In a real situation, those we chose are not even options.

We are so used to comfortability, stability, peace and equality that I'm afraid we've lost a big part of  our empathy scills. How can we see the violations of human rights if all we have here is opporunities?

We, in the western countries are NOT responsible of other peoples crimes and violations, but we ARE responsible to take care of eachother. In fact i think that the right to solidarity and being helped when your in need, should be added to the UN convention human rights.

We talk a lot of marginalisation here in Finland allso. By opening our eyes first here in our own country, we could allso create a new kind of inner caring ability and willingnes.
Then maybe, just maybe, we did'nt have to create a whole new continent, but instead make this world a better one for all of us with small steps. Starting from You.

So why wait until tomorrow? Open your eyes today, and see that the grass seems no greener on the other side if you take care of your own.

With solidarity and optimism, Ninnu

Ninnu

En nyfiken själ som vill inrikta sig på
nytänkande ledarskap inom pedagogik.

Fascineras av tidiga morgnar, naturen,

solidaritet, främmande kulturer, böcker, världspolitik och Eddie Vedder.

Är lyckligaste vid havet när tiden står stilla,

efter en tio kilometers länk och bastu.

Älskar mycket och vill inte fördriva tid till att hata.

Irriteras ändå av intellektuell lathet och försummandet av

mänskliga rättigheter.

Vill hitta nya vägar till de som gott vilse,

och vara ögon till de som inte längre orkar

se det goda som finns i världen.