Focal point Sweden

Where the past and the future meet

Eva & Perry Forsten

Hardcover - 224 pages

Writing about your homeland is a difficult and demanding but at the same time very exciting task.

Sweden is a country about which there are many opinions and different ways of looking at it are described in this book.

What do politicians and those in power think? Who decides who can think what? What is the language of bureaucracy and public life when the state of affairs in Sweden is to be expressed in words?
And perhaps even more interesting – what does the "ordinary" Swede think? He and she who go to work, live with family and everyday life and try to make the puzzle of life work? How do our immigrants think and feel? The elderly? Children and young people?

There is a difference between what we are expected to think – what is considered politically correct – and everything that goes on beneath the surface.

The power within our hidden selves has both the power and the opportunity to change life in Sweden; now and in the future.

"Focus Sweden" is a voice with opportunities for different approaches and interpretations of what is happening both on the surface and below it.

Our dreams, hopes and visions - what will become of these? If we are going to change - how will we do it so that we can all look to the future with confidence and trust in those who want to decide and influence how life here will develop?

Sweden - a truly amazing country with a wondrous, exotic people undergoing development and transformation into a new era.

"Profitability and growth are sacred concepts that only "idiots" dare to question. If the employer starts rattling off economic arguments about what we have to do to develop our business, everyone shrinks. Because everyone understands that if we don't earn enough money or bring in enough revenue and aren't profitable - then we have to lay people off and that's when it goes downhill."

"The economy and economic thinking rule us with an iron fist – then as now. Famous historical thinkers said in their time that we are slaves to work. It is not we who control working conditions, but it is work that controls us. And robs us of our freedom and our human dignity."

Read a chapter from the book here:

When we get free time, we will definitely...!

The average Swede has a lot of free time.

Statutory vacation has gradually increased in Sweden. Flexibility, the ability to vary vacation time throughout the year, has also improved in many industries.

It's not just that we have more time off than in the past, when people worked year-round. The quality of our time off has also improved significantly.

Swedes have a lot to choose from when it comes to how they want to spend their free time. The variety is endless.

For some, it is important to do nothing. To relax and just be. For others, different activities are preferable. For many, free time means the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. And for more and more people, free time is important from a health perspective. Many people train and exercise these days - go out jogging, or sweat at the gym.

Something that has become increasingly popular in recent decades as our prosperity has increased is travel. Experiences of other cultures and environments are highly valued by many residents of our country. For immigrants, it means the opportunity to revisit their homeland and relatives there.

For us ordinary Swedes, there are now exciting travel destinations both close by and far away. We travel in our own beautiful country, we visit different parts of Europe, but it has also become increasingly common to visit other continents such as America, Africa and Asia.

It is truly a sign of our wealth and privileged position that such a large portion of our population has both the ability and interest to travel to such an extent. And the range of travel options varies not only in terms of goals and destinations.

There is now an impressive range of different types of travel: cultural and language trips, hiking trips, cruises, trips to remote villages off the beaten track, ski trips and adventurous ways to travel the world.

You can choose between traveling by car, bus, train or plane. The trips can be very well organized, but there are also many variations where you can put together a package yourself based on your interests and other preferences.

Some people take the opportunity to explore their home environment. The holiday may be spent cycling in the local area.

Sweden has become increasingly better at tourism. Today's modern museums offer rich opportunities for knowledge and experiences in a different way than before.

So we have our weekend off. The freedom here is also total. Shops no longer have such limited opening hours but offer us different options for how we want to spend our weekends. If you want to shop on Sundays, you can. If you prefer to stay home and take it easy, no special planning is required. Everyone can choose what suits him or her best.

What is different for perhaps mainly children and young people today when it comes to their free time from kindergarten and school is that fewer people play outside in the yard. Leisure time, like work, is more structured for a lot of us.

There is so much to do for young people who want to keep busy! The range of activities offered by clubs is enormous - dance, theatre, music, other creative activities, sports and just opportunities to get together and socialize.

Some want to get involved and work politically, others are amused by animals and nature and may choose to join the scouts. The church has many opportunities to gather, not only in religious contexts but also through travel, the opportunity to play instruments in an orchestra and sing in a choir, meet and eat and bake and watch movies.

Today's modern Swede who is active and wants to develop outside of work has significantly more to choose from than fifty years ago. Developments are also progressing when it comes to the part of our lives when we are not working but are able to take time off, recover and perhaps do other things.

It is also important to use your free time to meet others. Joining an association, whether non-profit, political or perhaps even religious, is an excellent opportunity to get to know others and share your interests in a group. But many people simply want to take the opportunity to come and say hello, eat and sit and talk together. It is not enough to socialize with people at work - we need to have a private life too.

Gardening is very popular with many, old and young. There is a wide range of TV programmes for those who may own their own small plot and want to cultivate their own little plot. We can get a lot of tips and advice and help from the media if we want to work with our garden and experience the joy of everything that grows. It also gives peace and quiet to the soul to sow, plant and harvest. To see the wealth of colours and shapes and perhaps to grow spices and vegetables too. It gives you the opportunity to influence the food you eat.

Cooking is a joy for many. It can be the taste sensation that attracts, or the beauty and aesthetics of creating beautiful environments when we eat at home. It creates community both by cooking together as a family or with friends and by eating together. Interest in cooking shows on TV is breaking all records.

Having a rich leisure time is having a rich life. We all choose for ourselves how we want to spend it. The most important thing is that you follow your needs and interests, and to use the time both to be alone and to create and maintain community with others. Whether you hike in the mountains or go on cultural trips or spend time on your allotment, or are a driven person and start your own business or courses and conferences - it really doesn't matter much.

The choice is free - the most important thing is that you enjoy yourself and feel good.

Swedes can move freely on the streets and squares. We live in a peaceful country. We can go out and walk in the countryside and in the city. We have so many opportunities to choose from. In war-torn areas, people stay indoors in fear.

In Sweden we have the opportunity to choose. And for those who are too tired to do anything at all in the evenings, there are books. Or TV. Or the Internet. We can socialize with people in different ways nowadays. It is still fine to call or to say hello to people. But we can also chat, email and text.

A good balance between work and leisure makes for a good life.