Time for a spring clean up
Spring always brings along the desire to dust off the winter doldrums and throw oneself into something new: a new hobby, relationship, or even a book, which awakens new thoughts. It is good that at least once a year one seeks to question oneself and one's lifestyle. Perhaps this desire for transformation is connected to the trust that summer will soon bring nature out of hibernation. The immense growth and delicate shades of green give extra courage to break old patterns. This is a kind of spring clean up: time to take carpets out and wash the windows. Even the ceiling needs some paint.
Spring is an eventful time. Meetings and seminars are held nearly every week, usually in traditional Finnish manner: each clique in its own turf. You have to choose your side. The values of different factions differ from each other significantly and turnover rates among different groups are very low.
For instance climate change is a hot topic for many Finns, but for some reason different means for solving the problem do not quite meet. There is no safe space in between. I realise that I am one of the dropouts: discussion on climate change here and there feels so very unconditional, and nobody looks for compromises. There are humongous gaps the size of climate change itself between the different factions. And after all it is an issue that affects us all equally. Isn't this exactly the time when some unprejudicedness and open-mindedness would be welcome? For opening ourselves also to those opinions that we experience as foreign?
Change is always positive. If there is no more change we become dead: people who are not able to question themselves. Perhaps the best thing about spring is to tune into other people's thoughts, however different they might be from our own. Grasp change, it's worth it. Let's not only clean the good old house, but also the yard, attic and basement. After all this cleaning breathing will be again much easier.
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