Städningsdag--Cleaning Day

I know I have not been putting original, recent material for some time. But first its been busy. Second, I have been writing for other outlets. Third, I have been working on professional articles. Yet, this blog, this hippie like blog with no other reason than to share my love of the world with the world is very very dear to me.

So, here is something from May 11, 2019.  It was our 'beginning of summer cleaning day'. Although summer was more than a month away. 

Good people in the neighbourhood get together and for about three hours toil around areas allowed them remove dead leaves, left behind plastic (which is not much), remove old and dead twigs from the side of the new leaves. In essence remove the signs of winter and death.  

At the end of it what feels like hours and hours, we get treated to some junk but delicious food, and warm coffee and tea.  Oh wait, each helper gets about 300 kronor   I remember one of the neighbours asked me once why I had not participated in it for my first few years of stay in the country. 

Oh, simply because I could not read the emails --and it took me some time to understand Swedish or google translate them.  By the time I did either I had something planned for the day or it was too late to join.   In addition, sometimes I just did not know what it meant.  Hmm, said the neighbour and then added something that surprised me sooo much.

Oh we thought it was because of caste system.  Wait, what?  The person is nice and a good friend. Had no hard intentions or feelings.  But asked this very innocently and honestly. I laughed even as I was surprised. I was not hurt or offended at all. But it did bring another confirmation of how certain aspects of a country and faith are misread and spread.  No one ever thinks of Christianity and other Abrahmic religions that divide the world into believers and non-believers as divisive or discriminatory.  But Hinduism and India are forever connected to caste system and discrimination even though it remains one of the most diverse religions which has hundreds of sects and ways of thinking about the divine and man-divine-nature connection, but has never had bloody wars like two other major faiths in this world.

But then what do you do as a writer. You write, you smile, you write, you explain, you write, you think, you write, you educated, you write, and you write.  And hope that at some point, this knowledge will trickle down into this planet's psyche.

But on a light note.  Sweden remains a country where I believe people have their heart in the right place.  They truly believe in equality and treating people right. Whether it happens or whether it is always the right approach is something I will leave for another day.

But this cleaning day, like the last few, that I have participated in, its brought me a sense fo community that I always enjoy.

Thank you Sweden, Tack, Sverige!!