There are evenings when life feels pretty simple. You've eaten, maybe read something, maybe exercised, maybe watched a bad movie that was still pretty good. Then there are evenings when your whole life suddenly opens up like an old linen closet and everything falls out onto the floor at the same time. Then you can start to think about how…
Category: The person and the value
The Sweden Democrats' betrayal of their own voters
Worse unemployment insurance for the long-term unemployed, higher unemployment, eroded welfare resources and tax cuts that have greatly benefited high-income earners. A new report from Katalys examines what the institute describes as the Sweden Democrats' betrayal of the workers, unemployed and low-income earners who helped the party to power. The SD received 29 percent of the workers' votes in the 2022 election and 27 percent among LO members….
Relationships alone are not enough – happiness requires a holistic perspective
Relationships important but no miracles Good relationships are crucial for well-being. A long-term Harvard study with that message, the New York Times recently highlighted. The research supports it. People with warm, stable relationships live longer and happier on average. Isolation, on the contrary, can be as harmful as smoking. More time with family and friends actually increases…
The law was followed, but where did humanism go?
I do not question that the Migration Court of Appeal ruled according to the applicable law. Courts are supposed to apply the law, not engage in politics. But that is precisely why the question must be asked elsewhere: what kind of legislation have we created – and what values does it reflect? When a young person who has lived most of his life in Sweden, who has taken root…
Emergency laws with legislative power
The government wants to be able to bypass parliament in peacetime and enact laws on its own in times of “crisis”. It is said to be about preparedness – but resembles dangerous emergency laws that have historically led to abuse of power. The government’s proposal for emergency laws thus echoes worryingly with history. It was precisely such “temporary powers” that enabled the Nazis to seize power in Germany in 1933 – after…
Nobel Prize on Power and Progress
An ideology in power that favors workers must guide technological development. It determines whether we get a fairer world. Technological progress has not always meant better working conditions or higher wages for everyone. We need to develop innovations that help workers become better at their tasks, not just replace them with automation. Then the technology would…
Reduce taxes for low- and middle-income earners to zero
Sweden's tax system actually has a very regressive tax system, especially compared to other countries in Europe. A regressive system puts a greater tax burden on those with lower incomes. But does it really have to be that way? High monthly basic deductions In countries like France, where a friend lives, you have a basic tax deduction of 1.300 euros a month, which corresponds to…
Harris and Walz: A Struggle for Equality and Rights in an Unequal America
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz face a challenging but possible path to electoral victory in the upcoming US presidential election. Donald Trump polarizes and appeals to an increasingly extreme right-wing base. Harris and Walz instead direct their focus to the rampant inequality in the country. This issue affects millions of Americans. They find it difficult to afford…
Ichi-go, Ichi-e – to be fully present in every meeting
Ichi-go, Ichi-e (一期一会) is a Japanese expression that roughly translates as "once, a meeting" or "once, a meeting". This expression has deep cultural and philosophical roots in Japan and conveys the idea that each encounter is unique and can never be relived exactly the same way again. Therefore, one should value and…
Private property a social construct
Property and the Origin of Wealth At the outset, it is important to understand that property, as we know it today, has not always existed. In early human history, land, resources and property were common assets, without fixed boundaries or personal ownership. The concept of private property has developed over time and is not a given; it is rather a social…