As I have been studying the miraculous rescue of 95% of the Jews in Denmark during WWII I have been struck by how united the Danish people were. Otherwise, how could they respond so quickly to the news that their fellow citizen Jews were about to be rounded up and carted off to a death camp? Please review the prior blogs to see those details.
The situation as always was and is complex. Sure, there were Nazi sympathizers, but the vast majority of Danes were simply offended and united in the defense of ALL Danes as fellow citizens. An attack on one was an attack on all. How did they get there?
Well, it wasn’t just one thing that forged that nation into unity, but there were several component threads of thought and belief that when wound together created that unique fabric. Yes, the nation was largely united under one religious belief construct (Lutheran) and yes the nation was relatively small with several agricultural cooperatives that bound the citizens together into a work/benefit cycle.
But, perhaps more importantly, there were no festering schisms that tore at this fabric. Using our modern characteristics, the Danish people were not polarized as we are today.
Interestingly, that beautiful model for society 80 years ago has eroded, in part because of the diversity of thoughts and people there today. The largest disruption now are refugees who do not know nor care about the hundreds of years of history that forged Denmark. So, perhaps Denmark is no longer the place we should look for answers to our woes here?
No, I think it is the situation to study because two centuries of formative thought and actions are at the root of why Denmark behaved so admirably. They didn’t have the tensions we feel all day long. Yes, they had the natural tension between conservative and progressive thought, and they argued every bit as much as we do. But, when the going got tough, the Danes got going. They admitted their mistakes and moved on trying not to repeat them, unlike our politicians who seem more interested in attacking the character of anyone who tries to do the same. For a very small nation (4 million people at the time) they had a lot of very smart people trying to work through their problems, which were many.
What are our schisms that tear us apart? You know the answers here. Danes are taxed at the highest rates compared to any other nation and yet they are the among the happiest of people on the planet … even with the recent refugee tensions. It is no simple task to understand why this is. I just read a scholarly graduate study level book on this phenomenon and the inner workings of the Danish economy are truly complex. But, what seems obvious is that they are working on the continual adjustments needed.
We, on the other hand, seem to think attacking each other is going to get us there.
Exactly. No focus on policies , just personal attacks.
I think it starts with understanding that we do not have to agree on everything. I actually believe that bringing different perspectives,
insights and approaches into consideration when problem solving leads to a stronger path forward. Listening to each other; seeking to understand each other and then working together for the common good of our country resonates with me.
Growing up when we had disagreements, our parents would say; you have to work it out. And we did! And within a short period of time, we were once again on one accord (united). I wish we could employ those principles as a country today.