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#7 People of the Forest & Snow Network |
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I arrived in the snow and ice filled capital of Finland, Helsinki at the beginning of March. Although it was March, even on a warm day in the land within the Arctic Circle, the temperature barely reaches 5 degrees Celsius. The winters in Finland are long, and there is a period when the sun doesn't even rise. This dark and gloomy winter lasts for many months. The faces of the people who walk outside in the fierce winter are also dark, pensive, and gloomy. But in the summer, because most households have cottages by the lake or up in the mountains, the people stay in these cottages for a few months fishing, gathering nuts, or swimming in the lakes. The nature loving Finnish say that, "summer comes every year, but still, it feels like new days have just begun!" A rhythm of livelihood where gathering and preserving food in the summer and eating these preserves little by little in the winter strongly remains in Finland.
Finnish people call their country and themselves "Suomi," which means "people who love nature, people of the forest." 70% of the nation is covered by forests, and 10% by lakes, thus Suomi live in harmony with nature. Santa Claus and Moomin represent this country (http://www.moomin.co.jp/). Many people in Japan think that Moomin is a hippopotamus, however, it is actually a forest fairy, a troll. Fairies in Finland help Santa, making sure that children behave, but sometimes they play cute tricks themselves. It is believed that these fairies live quite close to people. |
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Leaving new footprints in the white snow… "kyu"
Helsinki in the winter is dressed in white with snow.
Birds on the frozen seas can't dive for fish, so they have no choice but to curl up… |
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The research theme for the seminar at my university is "information society." Of all of the countries in the world, Finland has the most advanced information society. An information society is a society that makes use of the information technology by integrating it into the people's lives. It does not mean that anything high-tech is good. It is important that this type of IT is kind to people and easy to use.
The Scandinavian countries are famous for having a well-developed welfare system. Finland is also a country, which places great importance on welfare. People of Finland receive healthcare, childcare, almost free of charge, and the country also has a well-organized system for retirement pension and unemployment insurance. In Japan, when one hears the words "government" or "administration," many imagine it being something very strict and closed, however, when one hears the same words in Finland, the people in Finland affirmatively state that it is "kind to people" and "protects the citizens." We asked the above question at the schools, NGOs, and nursing homes we visited in our research, and everyone gave us the above answer. All people in Finland believe that "The government protects the people, and at the same time gives people an identity as the nation's citizen." |
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Computer classes for the elderly are becoming popular! It is very important that those who teach are around the same age as those willing to learn. One can learn at the same pace from the same perspective.
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Computer classes for grade school kids. By the time they reach junior high, kids even know how to program. |
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My image of information society until now has been "propelling technological innovation, controlling everything with a computer, developing new technology by investing a large sum of money, then selling it at an expensive price." However, the advanced information society of this welfare state, that considers people first and foremost at all times has started to gather international focus. |
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Nokia is a well-known cellular phone manufacturer . At present, they hold more than 1/3 of the world's cellular phone market share; Nokia is a representative company of Finland. They are pioneers of the information society.
The integration of cellular phones in Finland is number one in the world. Many people in Japan have cellular phones, but 72% of Finland's population, from children in kindergarten to the elderly, owns a cellular phone (according to May 2000 data).
One of the reasons why cellular phones have become so widespread in Finland is because it well suits the characteristics of the nation. With a population of 5,000,000 spread over 330,000 km2 of land (the national land area of Japan is 378,000 km2), the people of Finland are very spread out and have few opportunities to meet and interact face-to-face with people. During the harsh winters, it is difficult to leave one's home, and it is difficult enough to protect one's living. For the quite, bashful, and shy "people of the forest", cellular phones and internet provided the best means of communicating with others without being face-to-face, without venturing out into the cold. |
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Nokia used to be a pulp factory. Even now, factories in Nokia town let out white smoke from it's chimneys.
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However, cellular phones are not regarded as an amusement as it is in Japan, but is merely regarded as a plus alpha element necessary for daily life. The elderly carry phones with them only when they go out for use in case of emergencies. Grade school and junior high students do not have the finance to pay for the transmission fee, thus they decide on a monthly fee with their parents, and use pre-paid phones. High school and university students do not seem to take interest in the mobile phone web sites firms in Finland are trying to integrate after the model of Japan. "We basically know where the cafes or parking spaces are, or from where we can take trams, so is there any information that you have to look up on the web?"
Helsinki is the largest city in Finland, but if you are walking around in the city, you always run into people you know. This is unthinkable in Tokyo, but this concept of "everyone knows everyone else" is an important point that forms part of the foundation for Finland's society. It signifies the unity of the people existent throughout the long history of foreign dominance.
Society is not overwhelmed by unnecessary information. Only what is necessary exists in the necessary amount. In a country like this, people's acceptance of the Web seems to differ. |
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There is another key to Finland's information society. It lies in the fact that in Finland, "distinction by age or sex" does not exist. Of course it is not a perfect society, but equal job opportunities for women and working environments are among the best in the world. Irrespective of one's position or age, people in Finland listen to what each person has to say and cooperate with each other. This characteristic is something that was cultivated as a result of the harsh winters and the long years of foreign dominance.There is a group of young people who carry out activities to eradicate such social distinction and to create a connection between people.
"Aula" means place in Finnish. It is also the name of the NGO we visited. "Aula" was started by 4 young people some of them graduate students. "Aula" aims to provide an open forum where people from different fields can gather. They rent out a large room, 30 m2, in the middle of Helsinki, and whoever has paid the annual membership fee of \8,000 can use this room liberally for any purpose. The room has no partitions and has a very open atmosphere with long desks and chairs, mattresses randomly placed.
Jyri (24 years old, male) is one of the 4 creators of "Aula." |
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"We value transparency here. Members include students, former presidents, artists, journalists, and others. Aula assists such people from different fields to gather, to break down barriers between fields to create something new. Members can communicate via homepage or cellular phones, but what is different about Aula is that we first and foremost value face-to-face communication. That's why Aula does not provide desk lined with computers. There are plenty of Internet cafes full of computers and people who sit and type without exchanging a single word with each other. What we aim for is something different; we are aiming for personal relationships. People who wouldn't normally have opportunities to meet gather here for discussions and create new projects, or host plays of a shows. It is better to do without barriers. Members are not required to have a name card, but instead, whenever they enter the room, messages that their friends have sent automatically can be heard, such as "Hey! You were really drunk the other day, and you were acting crazy!" Because such messages are automatically played, the other people in the room immediately get an idea of what that person is like." |
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Projects and proposals are written on the white board on the wall. Many arrows diverge from the projects and proposals with people's comments in response to such ideas. These ideas and comments are left on the white board and more and more people add their comments to the white board. New ideas are born in such a way. Due to operational issues, membership fees have to be collected, but this is unsatisfactory to Jyri. "Because of this, members of the Aula may appear confined to others outside, and it may seem as if there is a barrier here. But I do hope that barriers due to field of work, age, or sex will disappear, and new things, new ideas may be created." On our way back we all wished that an Aula would appear in Japan soon as well.
Taking your shoes off, cooperating to create something, communicating with everyone, a liberal atmosphere is a distinctive feature of Aula.
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From the past, with severe temperatures and environment, with poor resources, this country has regarded its people as its main national resource. Thus Finland has valued its people, provided opportunities for receiving education as well as providing at all times, even after schooling, getting a job, and retiring, an environment in which people can continue their studies. Schooling from grade school to university level is free of charge. The desire to learn is inexhaustible. |
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High-tech nursing home (care house) where Liisa lives |
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Underground warehouse/shelter and Liisa |
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We met a brilliant elderly lady named Liisa (77 years old) who brought up her children through war and panic-stricken times of fear. The nursing home she lives in is 15 minutes away from the center of Helsinki by car. "I love to talk to young people because they make me feel young! Please come visit me!" she said, so we went with her. Much to our surprise, she lived in a posh, modern mansion with glass walls equipped with key-card, key-in number system, and elevators, as well as central air-conditioning and storage areas which can also be used as a shelter in times of emergency. Although the facility is referred to as a nursing home, all rooms are individual rooms, and there is a cafeteria on the first floor, shared living room area, and nurse center (for simple treatments, check-ups, and medication). Other than that, living at the nursing home is not too different from having your own apartment. Individual privacy is protected, each room having a kitchen, shower, and toilet, as well as a luxurious sunroom. There is a buzzer in each room in case of emergency. When pressed, help from the nurse center immediately arrives.
Liisa retired at age 63, and continued her studies to receive her Masters and PHD. She started to taking computer lessons as well, and now she uses her computer skills to create resumes and Power Point documents for the university lectures she holds once or twice a week. Through e-mail, she discusses lectures she is requested to make, and she also makes new friends and expands her network. When she goes out, she hangs a cellular phone from her neck and uses it in case of emergencies. Even in this situation, you can sense that there is no overt reliance on IT, just use depending on necessity. Although people may have become acquainted over the Internet, they place importance on further developing the relationships by meeting face-to-face. When they get home, they leave their cellular phones at the entrance. They hardly use the phones to converse. Liisa volunteers to teach at the universities, and she taught me the warmth of human interaction, human relationships.
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People advanced in age are an important source of knowledge. People advanced in age in Finland were all very cheerful and charming.
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# Networking Nature and People |
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When I thought about the Finland's future, I had a very strange feeling. Until now, the image I had of information society was that it required "immense investments, competing against other nations, installing new digital tools, and improving the efficiency of procedures." However, after my research, I thought, "Is there a need to go out of your way to force development?" Although I went to Finland in search of a country that was a trendsetter in information society, I found myself wishing that I didn't want this country to move forward with "winning the competition" as its only objective, like the US and Japan. In Japan, it seems as though "nature" is changing from "something that we want to purchase at any price" to simply "something that we must to purchase." What I mean is that nature is playing a lesser role in the lives of the Japanese people. I was born and raised in Tokyo, so this trip has taught me how little or no part, "nature" plays in my daily life or how I think. Although Japan has been just as blessed with forests and water as Finland has been, will Japan no longer even think twice about its forests? |
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Saunas are a very important area of social communication in Finland. Secret gatherings sometimes take place here…
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Even in a frozen harbor, the market is lively from morning.
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"People of the forest" have not lost their spirit of nature.In Finland, in the cities and in the countrysides, little boys often walk around with a knife from young age because it is necessary to live in the land of the forests. I hope that these knives will never become weapons that hurt others. I hope that this society will continue to be through the harsh winters, through the fruitful summers and to be the land of the fairies. And I hope that this information society where people help each other hand in hand, will continue to be one that links forests and people, that links nature with people.
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About Midori Iwanabe
She is a university student in Tokyo taking an information society seminar. In March 2000, she reported on information society of Malaysia for a TV Tokyo affiliated program, "Global Mobile Report." During the holidays, she energizes by going backpacking across Turkey, Mexico and other countries. In the summer of 2002, she is going to California on an exchange program. She likes the fact that she still has a lot to learn and experience! |
| Report/photographs: Midori Iwanabe |
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Midori Iwanabe
