A thousand years ago, the northern situated land
becomes a variety of small kingdoms, and many are tales about the Vikings, Iron
Age, religion and lifestyle.
The first time the name of Sweden was heard was in the
1300s, when there had still been living in what would become Sweden for more
than 14 000 years. Swedish language came about thousand years ago. Then there
was talking both Sami and Finnish in Sweden.
In the Middle Ages spoke merchants and burghers of our
major cities German, why Swedish speech got German loan words, common words
like "arbete" and "betala". Finlands first moved to Upland,
then more and more to Dalarna and Värmland to clear forests and cultivate land.
In the Golden Age in the 1600s was German the most
common language for the highest officials. The country's ruling elite consisted
largely of immigrants Germans, Balts, Scots and the Dutch, well over a thousand
Walloons came from today's Belgium to launch ironworks. The Dutch called in to
build and live in the new town Gothenburg.
Successful wars joined the now Swedish southern
Swedish provinces of Sweden, as well as the island of Gotland, Bohuslän,
Jämtland and Härjedalen. Finland was since the 1100s linked with the rest of
the kingdom. Sweden had possessions in Germany, the Baltic countries and
Poland, and for a time while colonies in North America and West Africa. The
church was then strong and powerful, all must go in worship. The king ruled
supreme.
In the 1700s it was French culture and French
language as applied to the court and the upper classes, why Swede got many
hundreds of French loan words like "mamma", "enorm" and
"vag". Religion was questioned, reason would prevail.
In the mid-1800s, the eastern part of Finland was gone, Norway was now in union with Sweden. The railroad made it easy to move
across the country, labor flowed towards the coasts where one sawmills after
another started. The first industries were created.
Then came the bad times, crop failure and famine, and
for a short time emigrated quarter of Sweden's population, over one million
people, sought their fortune in other countries.
In the mid-1900s indicated all figures upwards Sweden.
Geographical and political turn had kept us outside world wars. The losses of
Finland and Norway had created buffet states between us and the great powers so
neighbors could take the shocks during the world wars. We had water power and
the woods and could deliver ore and collage both the Nazis and their enemies.
Neutrality it was called.
When the war was over, stood our fabrics undamaged, the
workforce was healthy and was extended with strong immigration from Finland and
Southern Europe.
Swedish products spread all over the world. Power was
among the people. Politics came from the popular movements. Every year was
better than the year before.
Today taken many of the political and economic
decisions that govern our future politicians in Brussels. Most of the once
brilliant Swedish brands are no longer Swedish. Our language mixed with English
loanwords. Close to 16 percent of the population born in another country, in
cities such as Malmö is the number of foreign-born even higher.
Sweden changed. The people speak differently,
look different and think differently than before. Yet this is Sweden. Our
country where the overwhelming majority are born, speak the language and feel
like Swedes, regardless of where our ancestors once came from.
Despite all the changes, there are three phenomena,
which also changed, but that nevertheless persisted through the centuries
namely: Swedish language and Swedes operation to find consensus, discuss the
problems and solve them together. Also: We've always been a monarchy. Although
the kings power have changed, the monarchy remained.
In these turbulent times it may be useful to recall
that the only thing that is really certain is that nothing is permanent,
everything changes. So even Sweden, our leaders, our borders and our people.
The changes are usually enforced, linked to political,
economic or military events in the environment.
Where are we in fifty years? Where are we headed in an
increasingly troubled world? We are different! We want to continue with the
democratic process! We want to be safe!
In East and West, the Muslim, Buddhist and
Shinto countries. But also in Protestant, Catholic and Communist countries. In
each country thinks and thinks differently. Right now we are in the Protestant,
secular, social-liberal Sweden where everyone should be with, no one should be
excluded, all right, nothing is wrong - except environmental crime, tax
evasion, pedophilia. There is only one "we", not "them". We
are also convinced that the whole world wants to be like us, the only true and
wise people.
We have unfortunately wrong. The world would not be
who we are. Most of the world has never heard of us. The majority of the
world's population lives in different worlds with different values, which they
consider as "right" as ours.
In Scandinavia and in some parts of Western
Europe, people live in a completely freed from religion. It is good and
evil. It evil is that such people cannot possibly understand the feelings of a believer;
cultural, psychological, social laws apply there, even for those who are
lukewarm believers. A person, for example in Saudi Arabia cannot say that
"I do not care about religion; I never go to the mosque." It is not
for life, all laws and beliefs in the country is marinated in religion. This
was also the fundamental Protestant Sweden during the 1600s. Anyone who thought
differently, did not come to church, were punished.
That in the name of free speech gets it right to offend,
hurt and mock other people is not right. Freedom of expression is not absolute and
unlimited, does not stand above all other laws. That should be an equal right
to the safeguard their own faith and their values without getting scorned.
Here goes a big line between East and West. Dialogue,
tolerance and understanding are the only way in a democracy. Not provocations,
taunts, racism and religion phobia.
That terrorist murder is always wrong, cowardly and
disgusting. Massacring an artist because you do not like his art is crazy as
massacring children in kindergarten when they screams too much.
The normal reaction to bad art is to turn it back, don´t
bay, not looking…..
