[FRIAM] continued preaching

[Steve Smith]

I just got notice from a colleague in Sweden who I met on the visit 
Merle coordinated in 2019:

https://idg-2022.confetti.events/?fbclid=IwAR2Ak5abD4trDWOrZwXZ3t4CPFiwwZVCZFKIajb3QyB73w2yLh6jkX3Rhp8

this is hosted by the Inner Development Goals group: 
https://www.innerdevelopmentgoals.org/

Most of these efforts are rooted in a larger ideal known as The Nordic 
Model <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_model> which the Ekskäret 
<http://ekskaret.se/>foundation <http://ekskaret.se/> (sponsor of the 
workshop) tries to implement more broadly.  When I first encountered 
this idea I was leery, it seemed to rhyme with the likes of Aryan 
Nationalism.  But only on the surface of the surface IMO.   Many might 
criticize the Nordic Model and the Scandinavian source of it for many 
reasons...  half of these remain constitutional monarchies, they are 
relatively culturally homogenous (across as well as within each 
nation).   Others may note the roots in Lutheranism and the broader 
brush of Christianity, etc.   I myself tripped over the fact that these 
nations have been fairly rich in natural resources (in particular 
energy: oil and gas, hydro, and biomass (wood)) and have had the benefit 
of geographic isolation (no boat-refugees washing up on their shores or 
traipsing across a few 100 km to their borders on foot)...  climate 
change will only (mostly) improve their lot while other regions of the 
world may become uninhabitable.  I feel they are being very pro-active 
about understanding how to meet those challenges in a positive way (no 
Border Walls with big Ts on them).

Nevertheless, in it's purest ideational form, I find it inspiring, and 
in the particular spirit of many of the individuals I met along the 
way.  Rooting do-gooder instincts in self-development, but not stopping 
with the self the way so much of our own professional class seems to do.

I did a short farmstay outside the community of Husqvarna (yes, the home 
to the Swedish powersports/powertools brand) with a host family who had 
a teen refugee from Afghanistan living with them and were active 
supporters of a larger community of Afghan refugees living in town.   
They were recovering an old orchard/farm themselves and the community 
ran a small-industrial scale biogas facility fed by the local water 
treatment (sewerage), yard waste, and home/restaurant food-waste 
sources.   The family owned one of dozens CNG vehicles modified to run 
on that particular mixture of methany products in biogas.  The husband 
is a design engineer for Husqvarna the company and was on a one-man 
campaign to move their design principles away from the very lucrative 
powersport/powertool hypercapitalist model the company had grown into in 
the modern era. (Husqvarna apparently once meant "mill on the river"?)   
The industrial effort (under the Monarchy) began as a musket-barrel 
factory in the 1600s to support/respond to another lucrative capital 
endeavor: constant war in Europe. By the late 60s they were entirely 
commercial and had entirely transformed away from military and even 
civilian weapons. Consider the solar-robotic mower they introduced in 
the 90s.

https://www.husqvarna.com/us/discover/history/

I arranged two other home-stays (through airBnB)  with less elaborate 
stories behind them, but both were inspirational.

A 30-something single father (of two young teens) who had rebuilt the 
farmhouse he inherited from his parents, much with his own hands...  
holding a conventional day-job but also putting his energy behind the 
"Fridays for Future" campaign centered around Greta Thunberg.   He 
commuted order 10 miles RT in a used Leaf EV, dropping his kids at 
school then taking himself the local trainstop to go into Stockholm (20 
mins).  The Leaf was charged from an array of solar panels on his barn 
(weekends) and at the trainstop during the week (free from the Swedish 
govt or part of the park/ride system).  The younger teen (boy) chatted 
with me in good Swedelish about his homework and interests and a recent 
trip to Egypt with his mother he had declined (in honor of Greta).  He 
had ideas about "greening the Sahara".  I think he was 12.  The daughter 
(~14) was just returning from Egypt, jetlagged and tired.  Details 
aside, they had very meritable intentions.  I didn't know *any* of this 
when I booked.  Luck of the draw?

The other being a young Pakistani couple with three children who had 
carved a separate space out of an apartment in Stockholm to run the 
AirBNB from.   The husband arranged his schedule to pick me up and drop 
me off at the airport (small fee compared to Uber).  His wife fed me 
breakfast while the children peeked out of their rooms at me, 
giggling.   The husband was in tech and spoke fair English, the wife 
spoke Swedish to me, I nodded a lot.  They had been there about a year.  
They claimed to feel very welcome/supported by Sweden (people and govt.).

All three had very good home internet, even though 2 were moderately rural.

I could use this to be critical of (most of) what I see here in the US, 
but I also found it inspirational.  I saw no reason many of us in this 
country couldn't evolve quickly in that direction. Inertia is what it 
is, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.




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