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In the schools, a sense of mutual
respect seems to be at the center
of nearly everything.
relationships among students
as well. Customarily reticent to
speak up and show what they
know (and demonstrate that
they might know more than
someone else), the students
regularly prefer to sit back and
blend into the class. Fittingly
(though this initially came
as a surprise to me) they will
readily sing aloud together, if
invited to do so. This is
because, as one teacher
pointed out, " singing is
about being in a group,
not about standing out
from the crowd and
calling attention to the
self. " Point taken.
To be sure, these examples
merely scratching
the surface when it
comes to this theme of
the common good. But I believe
that if you look deeper into
almost any aspect of Norwegian
culture-from employment
to health care and from the arts
to the oil industry-you would
likely fi nd beneath it this unifying
emphasis on the benefi ts to
society weighing more heavily
than the needs of individuals.
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Viking Magazine - May 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - May 2011