Take a look at these eyes. They’re crying. Why? In today’s society there are many with eyes like these that we must relate to and find ways to minimize the number of sad people in a positive and constructive way. Only yesterday many people working for SAS recieved a message that was anything but happy. Up to 1000 people will lose their jobs, and others get their salaries lowered with several thousands SKR.
Even if our life here in Sweden is relatively easy in comparison with the situation in many other countries around the world, we no longer can turn a blind eye to what’s happening around us, since it concerns us all and affects us all in different ways. If you lose a job, your private economy is in ruin, some dear relative passes away, your marriage or relationship is crushed irrespective of your social status or background, your car has been stolen or you’ve been treated like a slave or vermin by your employer and lost your foothold. If you have experienced severe traumas like the ugly face of war, survived a tsunami, have been lured or forced into prostitution, experienced torture in jail or a war zone, been beaten by someone close to you or have been raped, then you have good reason to weep.
Some of these people get PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Others deal with their experiences in other ways. The destructive parts might lead to self injury, self hate, anger, violent behaviour against people around you, an oversexual life/self injurining sex, gambling, alcoholism or drug addiction.
In today’s society with the world being what it is I see several destructive traps in bars, on the internet, sex adds, gangster romanticism in films and lyrics, especially in so called “gangsta rap”. The absurdity is that these things in media and culture are portrayed as acceptable and normal!!! It’s seen as cool!! We humans have destructive parts within us, and then people get surprised and shocked when some violent deed has been performed??!! A man has run riot and killed people – he was drunk and filled with narcotics, a woman has been beaten by her husband, gangsters have threatened a restaurant owner. Yesterday a phone company had tricked Swedish pensioners to sign alusive and decieving contracts. We find scoundrels dressed both in hip hop clothes and fancy suits, high and low. Come on!! What do we expect? Of course these things happen.
So what shall we do? How can we solve this in a constructive way? First things first. There is no such thing as a quick fix. Dream on. When I talk to my lawyer friends or my contacts within the police force, when I talk to teenagers or young adults, when I see worried parents, discuss with teachers, journalists or politicians, I usually suggest that things have to be taken seriously and that we learn to respect each other, create new jobs, show affection and empathy. We must learn to see the good things in us, encourage the positive creativity instead of the bad one. People’s Entertainment where I’ve just been working have good solutions that will contribute to aiding mainly suburban kids to not ending up in crime, but instead create a foundation for a possible improved future. Malmoe police force also has taken great initiatives in recent years and encourage us all not to support illegal clubs, to buy stolen cigarettes, drugs or illegal bevarege. We must create a better climate for entrepreneurs to help them thrive in a legal way, aid the police, show some guts as well as believe in ourselves and our fellow humans’ possibilities. This has to be encouraged. Instead of the eyes above I would like to see more of faces like the one below. Guess why!
Anders Moberg, Malmoe, Sweden, November 13th 2012
swedish heart and soul 