I had a bit of insomnia last night so I read some of the Feb 16th issue that just arrived. "Northern Lights" by Nathan Heller is a book review of "The Almost Nearly Perfect People" by Michael Booth, but you would not know that unless you read all the way to page 2 of the article. It's about the Scandinavians and their utopian societies. I started out wishing I could live in such a society but quickly realized that not all is perfect in paradise. I guess the thing I would most like to see is better women's rights and respect for women. The article/book states that Iceland is the best place in the world to be if you're a woman. Maybe it's the hot tubs, the wonderful coffee and vodka, or the chance to wear seal skin. Just kidding. The article cites over a year of paid paternity/maternity leave and I'm sure that's a big factor.
Hamlet aside, Danes are supposed to be the happiest people on earth. Heller doesn't really get to the root of that happiness, and I'm not sure Booth does either. But I gather it has to do with happiness, and wealth, more evenly spread among the people instead of just residing in the top 1% of earners. Also, there's the absence of stress. I would probably be fine with the government taking 70% of my income if I knew my retirement, health care, and education for myself and my family were covered. And if I was guaranteed a job too. When I was working, 35% of my pay was in insurance and 10% went to retirement, so that's not much different. Tuition for my daughter was $12K per semester and for my son, in a private school, it's even higher. This all adds up to a lot of pressure and stress, and I guess the Scandinavians are spared that. However, there's still a lot of existential angst among them if Bergman films and the rush of modern literature and TV shows are to be believed.