They built the land.

Byline: Atle Hetland

The world is big. Yet, it is also small. We are all part of it, and we all have more commonalities than differences. But we also have different approaches, timelines and paths to development and equality, justice and prosperity. Luckily, the human nature is also such that we always want more democracy, influence, participation, democracy and peace. Well, it is not linear and upwards always. But if it goes in the wrong direction at times, there are always groups and forces that work for us to be back on the right track.

In our time, there are many positive forces, taking us forward; and there are some negative, populist and other forces, sometimes making it acceptable to reverse past achievements of democracy, equality and development. It is important to make the right analyses and see what goes on so that we can strengthen the right forces, values and actions.

We can learn from each other, historically and in our own time; we can get inspiration from how people struggled and worked in recent decades and centuries. Today, I shall tell the story of one Swedish couple, who helped build the land of Sweden a couple of generations ago up to the present time. They are impressive, ordinary people. They are not royals, not highly educated, not full of big words and speeches; they are like you and me. Indeed, they can represent the people that built their land, every land. Let us learn from what they did and how they lived and worked, indeed their values of solidarity, concern and love for others, especially those who had to stand with cap in hand.

Another time, I will tell the story about a few Pakistani couples who did as much: and I will give honour to the indigenous Swedes, the Sami and Lappish people, who live in the north of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. The majority society did not give them the respect and inclusion they had the right to, until in recent decades. That also includes the Inuit of Greenland, the indigenous people of the large Danish island, and indigenous people everywhere.

My article today is about a Swedish couple, who can be representatives of those who built their land's modern welfare state and the folk home ('folkhemmet'), and one of the world's most equal, fair and prosperous societies.

Oscar Severin Bjork was born in 1900 in Vastermanland County in Central Sweden, but moved later to Stockholm to seek work as a labourer, a mason; he was called to the army during WWII, serving some years and...