Lagom was new to me. Balance as a principle for society. The right balance between the individual and the whole. But the author of the Christian Science Monitor article, mentioned in the previous post, seems to be describing the OLD Sweden, the country my husband left in 1986. Let’s do a quick check for ‘lagom’ as it relates to our life here in Strömstad, where we have been living for the past ten months.
Banking – Fail! Swedbank is open from 10 to 2 on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Not ideal for folks with jobs. Today, we went in at 10 and had to wait an hour for service. The room was packed, and no one wore a mask. We had come to find out how to use our Mobil Bank ID, a security app required for most online purchases. Sven was seated beside another old-timer, raised in Strömstad. “This is not Sweden anymore,” the man said. “We were honest back then. We trusted each other.”
Medical Care – Massive Fail and in crisis, like so many other healthcare systems across Europe. Sven was able to get free hearing aids but was obliged to travel two hours by car each way, with no public transportation available. When I broke my wrist in November, we traveled two hours to the regional hospital and waited nine hours in the ER. Everyone agrees politicians made an extremely bad choice in closing the local hospital here in Strömstad, in 2003. No one complains, however. Outspoken Swedes probably exist, but I have not met any. (I suppose ‘lagom’ prevents people from voicing an opinion that seems contrary to the consensus.) And Sweden is adopting the regional hospital model across the country. For my concussion, a Strömstad doctor told me to come back if my symptoms worsened. She did not recommend bedrest or tell me to stop using screens, which is what the doctor I sought out two days later in Tanum, a half hour away, advised. I have been unable to get a doctor to examine Sven. When he had an issue with his eyes, one did call but prescribed medicine without an examination, which would be considered malpractice in the USA.
Social Services – Fail! Sven is almost 86. We have had no help whatsoever, except for the alert watch, which cost $30 per month, and yet Sweden boasts online about its person-to-person services. (“In 2020, 236,000 people over 65 received home-care services, which can involve assistance with meals and personal hygiene, but also cooking, shopping, help with laundry, and support with social activities.”)
Assimilation of Immigrants – Fail! There was no plan for the Syrians who flocked here from 2015 to 2020, an average of 100,000 per year. Now, these asylum-seekers live in subsidized flats. Each person receives 180 Kronor per month. The Swedes live alongside these poor people and go about their business but do not interact unless obliged. To my surprise, I was treated like an immigrant when I applied for a personal number. We filled out a seven-page questionnaire, which required a lot of data about my children in case they want to immigrate too. These forms were conceived for Syrian refugees, not the American wife of a Swedish citizen. The whole process was inefficient and made me feel unwelcome.
Violence – Fail! Sweden has become the European country with the most murders. The murders are committed by crime gangs of young immigrants. There’s no evidence of gangs here in Strömstad, but the latest news states that the drug network in the big cities has 60,000 members. The problem arose in 2015 when 150,000 immigrants from Syria were given refuge. The gang leaders live outside the country. The leaders pay teenagers as young as 15 $2000 for “a kill.” For now, the killing involves members of rival gangs with the occasional Swedish citizen as collateral damage.
Infrastructure – Fail! The entire E6 highway a half hour north of Gothenburg slipped off its foundation last fall, obliging north-south traffic to detour. So far, no movement toward fixing the situation.
So, lots of failures in today’s Sweden, and little ‘lagom.’ The one bright spot for me has been the friendliness of people whom we did not know a year ago. Kind, generous Swedes. That has been the saving grace.
