Sailing against the tide
Looking at it from a secular perspective I’ve been thinking about religion lately. As we all know, the West has all but abandoned Christianity: the little of it that remains is not very different from progressivism; and progressivism itself seems to have morphed into a new type of religion, with its own processions, prayers and…
It’s okay. Relax and enjoy the decay. And now back to political commentary. Some “conservatives” like to parrot the idea that went companies “go woke”, they lose money. But this is not really true. Even if they eventually lose money on a particular film or product, they make up for it with something else. Disney,…
Sauna is a great Finnish invention. It is not the only one: there’s also Moomins, Angry Birds, the original Nokia cell phone, and my favourite, the dish-drying cupboard or Astiankuivauskaappi, which, perhaps because of the long name, didn’t catch on in the rest of the world, but I find very practical. (In Finland, all apartments…
Losing the way, or finding a new one? When asked what are their main characteristics, Finns themselves will tell you that they are usually quiet and do not tend to talk too much. Paradoxically, the ones who tell you that are usually exceptions to the rule. Yesterday I made a short visit to the nearby…
How to survive harsh times in an increasingly difficult world If you should watch just one film by Aki Kaurismäki, I suggest “Drifting Clouds” (1996), which is probably his masterpiece. Well, to be honest, I haven’t watched a lot of his movies, but it’s the best from the four or five I’ve seen so far,…
Kaurismäki movies. The Finnish character. Russia and Sweden. Tango. Aki Kaurismäki is probably one of the most famous Finnish filmmakers abroad. He also has a brother, Mika, who makes documentaries. But Aki directs fiction movies and is more well-known, having won main prizes in Cannes and being nominated twice for the Oscars in the Best…
In my constant quest for finding islands of peace and harmony in a corrupt and decaying world, the other Sunday I visited a Catholic Church in Helsinki, which organizes a monthly Latin Mass. (Finding Latin Masses all over the world is my latest hobby, as you may know.) I arrived late, however, missing the Tridentine…
From school shootings to Squid Game What is it with all these school shootings? Recently there were two in Serbia, another one in Pakistan, and a month ago an attack in Brazil — already the second or third one there. Also Russia, Germany, Denmark have all had school shootings recently. Not content with just shootings,…
My experience in Finland is turning out to be very different from the one in Sweden last year, and not just because of the different seasons. While superficially both places seem to resemble each other (a small village somewhere lost in the woods, near lakes), the similarities end there. Björkö was, or seemed, lonelier and…
Initial contacts with an alien race Finns are stereotyped as being extreme introverts who don’t like small talk — or even to talk at all. The series of cartoons “Finnish Nightmares” is a good general introduction to the Finnish psyche, and pretty funny too. But, so far, most people that I talked to have been…