A brief story about Denmark: A few years back my partner and I were visiting in Denmark 🇩🇰. We met friends in a small restaurant in Copenhagen for dinner and after a delicious meal prepared to leave. In the street just outside we recognized the chef/owner of the restaurant and approached him to tell him how much we had enjoyed his food and ambience of his establishment.
We fell into a twenty minute conversation with him which eventually made it way to what we found so outstanding about Denmark. He ventured a summation that has stayed with me ever since. “What is most important about Danish society,” he ventured, “is that we live with so much less fear. If my little restaurant fails, I know the state will help me make the transition to a new job, including interim income support. I feel this social support every day and have so much less anxiety because of it.”
Thank you for sharing Charles, that is a wonderful insight into Danish life. How freeing it must feel to have the reassurance that the government is able and willing to support you. Imagine the creative endeavours people would undertake if they knew that failure wouldn't mean the risk of homelessness and not being able to meet their basic needs. It does feel as though, as a society, we're missing out on the contribution of many people who are essentially trapped in an oppressive system.
A brief story about Denmark: A few years back my partner and I were visiting in Denmark 🇩🇰. We met friends in a small restaurant in Copenhagen for dinner and after a delicious meal prepared to leave. In the street just outside we recognized the chef/owner of the restaurant and approached him to tell him how much we had enjoyed his food and ambience of his establishment.
We fell into a twenty minute conversation with him which eventually made it way to what we found so outstanding about Denmark. He ventured a summation that has stayed with me ever since. “What is most important about Danish society,” he ventured, “is that we live with so much less fear. If my little restaurant fails, I know the state will help me make the transition to a new job, including interim income support. I feel this social support every day and have so much less anxiety because of it.”
Thank you for sharing Charles, that is a wonderful insight into Danish life. How freeing it must feel to have the reassurance that the government is able and willing to support you. Imagine the creative endeavours people would undertake if they knew that failure wouldn't mean the risk of homelessness and not being able to meet their basic needs. It does feel as though, as a society, we're missing out on the contribution of many people who are essentially trapped in an oppressive system.