How My Trip to Visit the “Best Place on Earth to Live” Never Happened. & More News Here

“Jonathan just tested positive for Covid here this morning.” My son Dan known as me from Copenhagen with the unhealthy information. And he known as simply minutes earlier than I used to be to fly there for a long-anticipated go to to Copenhagen, to go to Dan and his household. I used to be devastated. I knew it could be loopy at age 87 to head off to Copenhagen when somebody in the family there had Covid. I canceled.

I had been studying and speaking about Denmark for weeks and I discovered myself persevering with to do analysis and maintain forth on Denmark. And now, expensive readers, I would like to share a few of the wonderful info that I’ve discovered and to let you know why what goes on in Denmark issues to every of us. Even if we by no means go there.

Denmark has been ranked as the finest place on earth to stay and likewise the better of all international locations by way of high quality of life. It has been named as the least corrupt nation in the world and #1 by way of defending the atmosphere and gender equality. It has been ranked the 2nd happiest nation on earth, (after Finland) for the final three years.

What guests to Denmark first discover are the many individuals driving bicycles. Patrick Kingsley in How to be Danish highlights the proven fact that greater than 30% of individuals in Copenhagen commute to work on bikes and even youngsters zip round the metropolis alone. Visitors additionally be aware the abundance of public parks, city gardens and public transportation.

As guests discuss to some native folks, they’re instantly impressed by all the advantages supplied by the authorities. Denmark has healthcare for all whereas additionally providing alternative of suppliers. There is common free schooling that features childcare beginning at age 8 months, education for all youth and free universities. Danish staff common solely 34 hours of labor per week and so they obtain 5 weeks of paid go away annually. They even have unemployment when wanted and 32 or extra weeks of paid go away when a brand new child arrives. The hole between the high incomes and the lowest is way smaller than in the US. You could also be questioning how all that is potential.

More information. The Danish authorities features successfully with the lowest charges of corruption of any nation. And the authorities has been in a position to move has aggressive legal guidelines to cut back carbon emissions and encourage wind and photo voltaic vitality. And what I discovered most wonderful is the proven fact that Denmark has only some folks dwelling beneath the poverty line, only a mere .3%. This is whereas we in the US have 11% of our folks dwelling beneath the poverty line. I couldn’t consider it at first and stored testing the information.

Denmark has additionally been known as considered one of the finest locations in the world to develop outdated. Everyone over 65 will get a pension and the authorities gives free or nicely backed housing for the outdated. Traditional giant nursing properties have been outlawed and have been changed by small homelike long-term care communities. Other choices for folks as they age are senior citizen residences, assisted dwelling and growing old at dwelling.

And belief is excessive. More than 70% of Danes consider folks might be trusted in accordance to Helen Russell, creator of The Year of Living Danishly. This is twice as many as the common of their European neighbors. Randall explains that the belief is so excessive that the majority dad and mom really feel secure leaving their sleeping infants outdoors whereas they go right into a retailer or cafe.

But, in fact, you might be pondering maybe, there have to be some downsides. And, in fact, there are. Tax charges are at 50%. Americans are horrified by that. Women, as elsewhere, are paid lower than males and fewer of them attain the high of huge companies. And earlier than you begin planning in your transfer to Denmark, I want to let you recognize that the winters are darkish, chilly and lengthy. In midwinter the solar rises at 8:30 am and units at 3:30 pm.

And there’s a lack of variety in Denmark. Less than 5% of the inhabitants of Denmark are immigrants and fewer than 2 % of the inhabitants is black. Danes used to inform guests that that Denmark was a superb place for immigrants. Today some folks report troubling indicators of racism and anti-immigration attitudes.

Dr. Mira Chandhok Skadegard of Aalborg University explains why so a lot of the Danes deny that there are any issues: “White Danes don’t experience racism.” And few share the immigrant expertise.

Despite the challenges, Denmark stays gorgeous instance of what a rustic can present to its folks and nonetheless prosper. We can study a lot from their mannequin. Here are 4 of my takeaways:

1. It is feasible for a rustic to enact legal guidelines that present common healthcare, free schooling in any respect ranges, inexpensive childcare, unemployment and paid holidays and supply a top quality life for all its folks.
2. It is feasible to have an efficient authorities with little corruption.
3. It is feasible to get rid of poverty to a level we now have by no means achieved right here in the US.
4. It is feasible to implement an aggressive inexperienced agenda and nonetheless prosper.

Learning this, I discovered myself experiencing a rising upset, concern, disappointment and anger about a lot of the selections we now have made in the US. Of course, these sorts of advantages are a lot less complicated to obtain in a homogenous nation of 4 million folks in contrast to the US with its gorgeous variety. But give it some thought. We, the richest nation in the world, nonetheless have 28 million individuals who don’t have any medical insurance and greater than 30 million stay in poverty. We have let our public transportation methods deteriorate and childcare stays so expensive that it’s a large burden for a lot of households. And our youth are dying in unprecedented numbers from deaths of despair… medicine, suicide and gun violence.

We have foregone a lot wanted infrastructure in the United States at the expense of the common citizen. Of course our tax legal guidelines (which enormously favor rich Americans, companies, and particular curiosity teams) would wish to change to ensure that us to implement and handle giant applications like these the Danes take pleasure in, however our lifestyle would rise drastically. Interestingly, as Congresswoman Katie Porter recently pointed out, Medicare is an especially environment friendly supervisor of medical advantages, spending only one% on administrative prices in contrast to 17% in the personal healthcare business. These sorts of adjustments are financially possible!

Denmark reveals us that possibly we Americans have too small a imaginative and prescient of what’s potential. Consider what the US has just lately executed to assist Ukraine. And what we did in World War II. And how we acquired to the moon. I consider we will do extra for our folks.

I consider that we, the older generations, have a perspective that wants to be heard. We should proceed to be politically energetic to work in direction of a kinder gentler nation. And we should share our values, expertise and resilience with youthful generations who’re struggling.

I’ll finish with a quote from a Japanese Buddhist thinker, Daisaku Ikeda.

Recognizing and treasuring the contributions of older folks is crucial to the long-term flourishing of any society.

Let me know what you suppose.

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#agingwell #dwelling #well being #Denmark #society

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