Who is not in awe of the Scandinavian countries? They are leaders in the world of all sizes. Countries, such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, have good economic growth rates. The social gap between its citizens is also very low.
On a personal level, citizens have great confidence in their government. On the other hand, the government also respects this trust and tries to do its best. Several measurements also show that the level of happiness of its citizens is very high. The overall level of life satisfaction is also very satisfying.
If we want to look for examples of development, don't look to the United States, let alone Arab countries. Lots of chaos thinking there. Take a look at the Scandinavian region. There is something worth learning.
Ideological Balance
On the one hand, Scandinavian countries use the Welfare State's political-economic system. This means that the state is fully responsible for guaranteeing justice and prosperity for its citizens. All systems are made as cheap and easy as possible so that the interests of the citizens can be met. The quality of their education and overall health is one of the best in the world.
On the other hand, Scandinavian countries adopt open market policies. The free market is its economic philosophy. Competition and innovation are fully encouraged. They become real examples of how socialism and capitalism can find a balance point that brings justice and prosperity to all.
Some heretical views suggest that the Scandinavian countries were advanced because they were ethnically homogeneous societies. Immigrants and immigrants are very few. However, if we look at history, back in 1800, Scandinavia was a very poor area. In fact, at that time, the Scandinavian region was much more homogeneous, than it is today.
Bildung
Then, what drives the progress of the Scandinavian region so that it becomes what it is today? The answer is an educational policy of extraordinary genius. At the end of the 19th century, Scandinavian thinkers concluded that they could only progress if all citizens had a high-quality education. Education does not just stop at school but becomes a lifelong process.
Scandinavian thinkers and policymakers learned from German philosophy. In German, education is defined as Bildung. Bildung is a whole human development process, including elements of moral, emotional, intellectual, and citizenship attitudes of all citizens.
The 21st-century world is a very complex society. Technological developments are changing the face of the whole world. A nation can only develop in this century if its citizens have complex abilities. The old and outdated view must be released if a nation does not want to be trapped in a backward culture.
Usually, education is understood as the process of teaching skills, such as reading, counting, memorizing, and so on. This view is misguided, and it kills education itself. Bildung is the process of building a whole human being, especially one's world view. Bildung was created, so that people can understand their relationship with the wider world, including with a pluralistic society, God and the global community.
Bildung gives birth to responsibility for oneself, family, friends, fellow humans, and the wider nature. In Bildung, responsibility goes hand in hand with freedom. When people take full responsibility for their world, then they have the freedom to be involved and determine the shape of the world that will be created. The main essence of Bildung is an understanding of the self that is broad and is not trapped in the identity of small groups alone.
Self-Awareness and Thoughtful Thought
In the Scandinavian-style Bildung concept, self-awareness is also very important. Self-awareness is the process by which people become aware of everything that is happening inside themselves, including emotions, thoughts, and feelings. People are invited to realize and accept the complexity of the world within themselves. With trained self-awareness, people are no longer enslaved to their thoughts or feelings.
Self-awareness is also the key to holistic thinking or thorough thinking. Humans are part of a wider network, ranging from family, society, country to the universe. Thinking through means realizing the interconnectedness of it all within oneself. This is the basic thinking philosophy of education which is the key to, the advancement of the Scandinavian region.
After several generations, this mindset, openness, and self-awareness became an integral part of Scandinavian culture. The impact was very felt. The level of corruption in the region is among the lowest in the world. Scandinavians are good at dancing between personal freedom and a sense of responsibility in living together.
When people have a sense of responsibility towards each other, life together will be beautiful. Solidarity will grow naturally. Compliance with common laws and regulations does not arise from fear and compulsion, but full awareness. On the whole, the trust in each other will grow.
Learning from Scandinavia, the key to the progress of a nation is education or Bildung. This is not just the development of skills for work. It's also not just an activity of memorizing and obeying reverent teachers. Bildung is about shaping a way of thinking and a way of life. He develops self-awareness as well as responsibility for the wider environment.