I don't know about that. I tend to avoid social situations.
The start of the covid era was bliss. No people anywhere. But then things got way worse when our personal space was shrunk from comfortable 4 meters to suffocating 2 meters according to the covid guidelines.
You don't think we have youth clubs and other social clubs?? 😂 There are plenty of options for those who enjoy them lol. Maybe not take the whole "everyone are just home alone" that literally🤣
Can't forget that for 80-90% of the year it's cold, and for half of it it's really dark too. It does things to the body and brain which isn't good. More likely to get (more severe) auto immune illnesses among other things, and doesn't exactly help fight depression
Funny how extroverted people and cultures always believe they are the "right" way and everyone else must just be wrong, not narrow minded at all lol.
i agree with you, but i think it makes sense - introversion is 'passive' and extroversion is 'active', so they will always be pushing their views on us.
In Denmark, if three people share the same hobby, they’ll start a club. We’ve got a club for the Danish handshake (none of that hugging), clubs for hobbyhorses, football, badminton, handball, paddle – you name it. And we also have a strong tradition of hosting cultural events in our many libraries.
Suicide rates are actually not that high comparably. Amd Finland topped the world’s happiness ranking. And people have almost too many activities these days in Scandinavian/Nordic countries, especially kids.
I’m convinced that the only reason Finland is topping the happiness rankings are because they answer the question “Are you happy?” with “Sure, it could always be worse!“.
Yeah, they have a laconic and relaxed view resulting in viewer highs and lows.
If you dive deeper in those happiness rankings other, poorer countries residents often rank higher in “having had happy moments in the last two weeks”, while Finland is much higher in “being relatively content and happy with own achievements and way of life”
Nordic countries have all of those things. It’s so easy so be outside on the beach and socialize when you have summer round the year. Try being social when it’s minus 30, pitch black and a snow storm outside.
That’s why Nordic countries excel in music and gaming instead, the cold forces people to be inside and have creative hobbies instead. A lot of the time depression/suicide is higher in well of societies, because when your basic needs are all met you have more time to question your happiness. People who are too busy trying to put food on the table aren’t mulling over small problems. Of course couple that with periods of complete darkness and no vitamin D. That creates different cultures..
“I don’t get why people are enclosed in their home” is the most idiotic, American “I’ve never been to any country outside my own” perspective I’ve ever heard
The downvotes are there because the commenter is clearly talking out their ass but confidently gives advise like it makes sense and thinks that they know better.
Socializing is a big part of life in the Mediterranean countries and the guy probably knows from his own experience that most of motivation and happiness in his life come from it. He is just giving the most sincere and benign advice that anybody who understands or experienced the Mediterranean way of life would give, myself included.
I have the experience of living in Croatia and in Germany. Socializing saves liters of alcohol and kilograms of antidepressants in one's life.
Today, socializing doesn't have to be limited to good weather. The state could encourage it by building well lit, warm places where people meet. Communal living rooms could have to be mandatory in every floor or street. Not that I have answers but one could think about it. I do believe there are bars, but especially in Nordic countries they are often too expensive and too alcoholic.
I once wanted to overnight at the bus station in Helsinki (the underground one at Kamppi) to get an early bus to Tampere the next day. I put my stuff in one of the storage lockers, and my my plan was that as soon as that area was unlocked in the morning, I'd get it and jump on the next bus.
At around 1am, security found me there half-asleep on a seat, and asked me what was going on. He then noticed there was a bus to Tampere in about 15 minutes, and very kindly unlocked Kamppi for me so I could get my suitcase, and he escorted me onto the bus to make sure I definitely left. Sitting on a light in the pavement in Tampere in the middle of the night to stay warm wasn't what I'd planned.
Still the only time I've actually been moved on from somewhere. I wouldn't say Finland isn't also hostile to people doing the wrong thing in public, even if they have decent homeless policies apart from that.
The largest veteran housing program is/was based on this principle. In the US we just don’t have the political willpower/funds/capacity to extend it to all citizens.
I have a question. How come when it comes to things that happen in other, usually European, countries is a ‘look at what this country did’ even if it’s a local policy but the US gets judged harshest based on maybe only one local policy?
Because "Housing first" is an idea that reddit wanks over, because most redditors are morons with no life experience, as most countries have a similar approach and it doesn't work for the visible minority of homeless people.
Most on the street homeless are such, because they literally lack the ability to adult enough to have a place to sleep. And I'm not talking "Can't pay rent". I'm talking "Can't stop ripping the wiring out of the walls to sell for drugs".
Why Eastern European? Western European countries like the UK, France, Germany have much higher rates of homelessness than Eastern Europe (other than Ukraine for obvious reasons).
Most of the homeless people you meet in the streets of Dutch cities are from Eastern Europe. Most of them aren't counted in official statistics because they weren't registered at a house in the Netherlands long enough. Many of them don't want to go back when offered a ticket home and some cash. They prefer to stay outside in the Netherlands. Staying inside in Finland sounds better to me.
I don't have an official source, because we don't have any in the Netherlands. I can share some articles about this group of homeless people if you are interested, but it is anecdotal evidence.
Read more about the program. It's an extremely well-run sustainable program and it has rules, including that the tenants pay rent (they either work, or they get benefits out of which they pay rent). The non-profit buys or builds housing and support staff is provided, but daily operations are funded through rent. The staff on site help with paperwork (like applying for benefits) various other supports, etc.
And there are rules to follow. It's housing without pre-conditions, not housing without conditions. The organization that runs it evicts active troublemakers because they would poison the whole environment for those trying to stabilize.
Thanks, do you have a link to read more? It sounds like for example someone doesn't get homeless in Finland when having a stable income but not wealthy enough for private rent or buying. Too good to be true.
Well no, it's also for people on government benefits/support, and the workers help them apply and navigate the process. It's genuinely meant to be no barrier to entry, and then support to keep you there once you enter.
But yeah, if you're showing antisocial behavior and making the building feel unsafe for all the other vulnerable people, you don't belong. There's no point in allowing the majority of your clients to be harmed.
Google about how Y Foundation runs. Not the brief articles about Housing First that don't go into detail but more detailed analysis. It's an amazing and supportive program and it works because it has rules. The last time I looked it up their eviction rate was about 20%, which means their success rate was 80% which is really great.
But I will say for me, those things are only disadvantages because of corruption and intentionality made loopholes that allow businesses to do these shady practices is what's the actual problem.
But that's a problem with the system itself and a different discussion entirely.
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u/opinionate_rooster Slovenia 2d ago
Finland: "Hold my beer." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_First