Finlandia

In many respects, Finland is very much a land of contrasts. It is one whose history and experience has always served as an enduring but unifying force upon which a sense of pride for country and citizen has remained high among the people. While love of country is a cherished ideal among all national cultures, recent history has shown that sooner than later, the ideal succumbs to the allure of perverse nationalism by which one national culture is extolled as being superior to that of others. But the Finnish love of country is different; it is a sentiment driven by a keen appreciation of the country’s uniqueness, in and of itself, in relation (but not in competition) to the experience and history of others. In a nuanced way, this sentiment is also reflected in Finland’s national anthem Maamme (Finnish) or Vårt Land (Swedish) or Our Land (English) in the sense that it shows by its own lyrics, a collective admiration for the land (not the people) and what it offers for the sake of its inspiring beauty and existence. But if, on the contrary, then it would only be to the extent that land, people and culture are construed as integral and synonymous with Our Land. ¹