Meaningfulness is essential

Meaningfulness is essential

This summer has been so meaningful for me. I think it has something to do with my own mindset and where I am in my life.

After a storm there will come a sunny day. Somehow this makes a lot of sense to me this year. I have had a rough end of year 2014 and beginning of year 2015 with an inner process where I have done quite a lot of soulsearching, and perhaps have found new meaning in my life.
For one I have learned the hard way that I need a balance between work and my private time. The so-called work-life balance, which is kind of a strange word, since work is also life and life is sometimes work. Well, in any case I have come to value a more balanced way of life, where my work takes less space and time. I have prioritized more time with my family, my friends and even my work-time colleagues. I have also spent more ME-time, where I can think and perhaps even practice a little philosophy about my future life content and personal goals. All in all I have focused more on what is meaningfull in my life, and found out that this has to be a continuing priority.

Nature and experiences in nature is a must-have for me. I have spent most of my adolesence in Greenland and is thus a nature-junkie. There is so much meaning in being surrounded by the most extreme nature, where you are just a tiny creature in a vast landscape. Greenland is extreme, nature in Greenland is extreme - and I do believe this has a significant impact on how we Greenlanders view ourselves and the World. We are humble about the meaning of life and death. We are close to the nature on a daily or weekly basis.

I am currently in East Greenland where the nature is nothing less than awesome. There are huge glaciers pounding into the deep fjords. There are spiked mountains ranging up to more than 3000 meters and there is ice - and lot's of it. To be surrounded by such amazing scenery I am impacted into the core of my being. I am embedded in nature - and it gives so much meaning to me.

So what is my point, you might ask?

Well, nothing really - except that you have to find meaning where it makes sense to you, and then act on it. Take it in - treasure it, and be sure to make it meaningful. 

Do or don't

I like reflections - and I like dilemmas. Both are kind of a spice in life, which makes it so much more interesting to live.

Bordering on a new chapter in my life I am reflecting a lot about my surroundings and the culture I am part of. I view people in the light of who they are and what they represent. Kind of an anomaly for cultural insight into my current society.

What do I see? I see a lot of things that divide - and very few things that are pulling us together - as a Nation here in Greenland. I really fear the rhetoric of another election campaign with so many empty words and so few solutions. We are in the midst of a turmoil and in dire need of a captain on the bridge of our vessel. We have none!

I often think of us as an underdeveloped Nation that has so much potential that just needs to be unleashed. A Nation with so much talent and skills, just not in a traditional University kind of way. We have so many creative souls and a younger part of the population, who really wants to make a difference. Unfortunately not a lot of demands are put on them - or us - to perform. We are averse to demands or requirements and thus stuck in a limbo with no direction.

What we need is LEADERSHIP and lot's of it. We need to focus. We need to find out what to DO and what NOT to do about our country as a whole. We need direction and there is none.

In the meantime we discuss vigorously and to extreme lengths - but with no visual results. We simple lack a leader in front to pull us in the right direction. Just my humble opinion.

Kulturforskelle er vigtige - kulturikkut assigiinngissutit pingaaruteqarput #kultur #forandring

En af de ting jeg har lært igennem mere end 20 års leder- og projekterfaring i både frivillige organisationer og indenfor det private erhvervsliv er, at der er enormt stor forskel på hvordan du og jeg modtager forandringer - og at rigtigt meget er lokaliseret til vores kulturelle baggrunde. Jeg har f.eks arbejdet meget med nordmænd, svenskere og islændinge, som har en helt anden mentalitet end os i Grønland. Og så er der de almindelige forskelle, som vi tydeligt ser hver dag mellem Grønland og Danmark. For mig er multikulturelle samfund en enorm styrke og mangfoldighed betyder bedre beslutninger. Et af de springende punkter for at det skal være en STYRKE og ikke en svaghed er respekt. Hvis der er gensidig respekt, så er både en multikulturel organisation (som også er sammensat med et kig på mangfoldighed - alder, køn, erfaring, uddannelsesbaggrund) en KÆMPEMÆSSIG styrke. Se på Canada, se på USA, se på de steder hvor virksomheder og organisationer forstår at agere i det mulighedsrum - i stedet for at være optaget af begrænsningerne og udfordringerne det medfører. 

Jeg savner i den grad en bredere diskussion om hinandens styrker - ikke svaghederne. Hvorfor er det altid lettere at fokusere på de negative ting og helt glemme fokus på de positive effekter af at være forskellige? Racisme kommer i mange former, men er aldrig kønt. Jeg har store udfordringer med mennesker der ikke er tolerante overfor andre mennesker. Uanset kulturel baggrund, social status eller uddannelsmæssig baggrund. For mig er vores kulturelle baggrund en styrke og jeg er STOLT af at komme fra Grønland - og betegner mig gerne som femte generationsindvandrer, men at jeg er NUUMMIOQ med stort N!

Hvordan tror du at vi kan få et mere tolerant samfund? Har du konkrete bud - ikke kun den ene vej, men set fra flere sider, så mangfoldigheden i vores samfund styrkes?  #kulturforskelle

KULTURIKKUT ASSIGIINNGISSUTIT PINGAARUTEQARPUT

Ukiut 20-t sinnerlugit kajumissuseq tunngavigalugu suliniuteqartut  aammalu namminersortutut inuussutissarsiortut akornanni pisortatut sulianillu ingerlatsisutut misilittagaqareerlunga ilikkakkama ilagaat, illit uangalu allannguisoqartillugu qisuariartarnitta assigiinnginnerujussuat – tamatumalu kulturikkut tunngavitta assigiinnginnerannut annertuumik tunngassuteqarnera.

Assersuutigalugu uagutsinnit Kalaallit Nunaanni najugaqartunit allaanerujussuarmik eqqarsartaaseqartut norgimiut, svenskit islandimiullu, suleqatigisarsimaqaakka. Ullullu tamaasa aamma Kalaallit Nunaata Danmarkillu akornanni assigiinngissutit nalinginnaasut ersarittarput. Uangalu inuiaqatigiinni kulturikkut assigiinngissutaasut nukittoqutitut  aalajangiinissanilu pitsaaqutitut isigaakka.

Tamannalu sanngeequtaanani NUKITTOQUTAASSAPPAT pineqartut akornanni ataqqeqatigiinneq pinngitsoorneqarsinnaanngilaq. Ataqqeqatigiittoqarpammi kulturit assigiinngitsut tunngavigalugit ingerlatsineq (ukioqqortussuseq, suiaassuseq, misilittagaqarneq aamma ilinniagaqassuseq ilaatillugit) ANNERTOORUJUSSUARMIK nukittoqutaavoq.

Canada, USA aammalu suliffeqarfiit periarfissarititaasut tunngavigalugit ingerlatseriaasillit qiviariarsigit – tassa killiliissutaasinnaasut unamminartullu taakku pilersitaat kisiisa isiginiarnagit.

Nukittoqutit annertunermik siamasinnermillu akornatsinni oqallisigineqarnerat assut amigaatigaara – sanngeequtit pinagit. Sooruna assigiinngissuteqarnerup pitsaaqutaasa iluaqutai isiginiarnagit pitsaanngequtinut sammititsinniarneq ajornannginnerusartoq? Inunnik assigiinngisitsisarneq assigiinngitsutigut ersersinneqartarpoq, kusanaattaqaarli.

Uanga unamminartittaqaara inuit inoqatinik akuersiuminaatsitsinertik ersersikkaangassuk. Tassa apeqqutaanani kulturikkut, inuiaqatigiinni inissisimaneq imaluunniit ilinniagaqassuseq. Uannummi kulturikkut tunulequtarput nukittussutaavoq uangalu Kalaallit Nunaanneersuunera TULLUUSSIMAARUTIGAARA – nuannarisarlugulu nunasisut kinguaariit tallimaattut imminut taanissara, NUUMMIUUNERALU naqissusertarlugu! 

Illit isummat malillugu inuiaqatigiit imminnut akaareqatigiinnerulernissaat qanoq ililluta angusinnaavarput? Aalajangersimasunik siunnersuutissaqarpit – illuinnarsiunngitsumik kisiannili inuiaqatigiinni assigiinngissutsit nukittorsarneqarsinnaanerinut takutitsisinnaasunik?