yearning for "hygga"

Denmark is considered the country with the happiest people in the world according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The US failed to crack the top 10 for the fifth consecutive year. Life satisfaction was measure across 22 variables. After a healthy job market, the article reported that "feeling connected to one’s community is another factor in a country’s happiness. In all but one of the happiest countries, at least 90% of respondents reported having a quality support network that they could rely on in times of need." 

The Danish and Norwegian's have a word for this, "hygga", pronounced "hoo-ga". Hygga refers to "a form of everyday togetherness", "a pleasant and highly valued everyday experience of safety, equality, personal wholeness and a spontaneous social flow". Much has been written in the study of Scandinavian cultures about the value of "hygga". In recent times it is included as a rationale for the emotional health of more socialistic economies. This becomes a barrier for many thoughtful Americans since it leads them to associate "hygga" with advancing propaganda on socialism as a superior economic approach to capitalism. Conservative Americans, which include many evangelicals, wish to denounce "hygga" to protect and promote the Judeo-Christian work ethic,. Individualism was an unintended consequence of the Reformation. This is understandable since there is a strong link between the contribution of individualism to economic development and growing our standard of living. Thus, the benefits of capitalism are defended by American Christianity vigorously.

 So, what is your point prof? Is this just another biased, slanted argument to link socialism with happiness? Is this another poke at the greed factor of capitalism that eats away at happiness. After all, there are studies that fail to show a positive correlation between wealth and happiness.

Let's break away from this tired debate a moment and see if there is a valued place for "hygga" in the Western conservative evangelical narrative. Let's come at the question of "hygga" from a different perspective.

Jesus says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." That means "abide" must be important and quite essential to life in The Kingdom. While abide technically means "to remain or stay", could it practically mean "hygga"? Could the key to abundant life be found in a better understanding and a greater role of "hygga" in the life of a Western Christian?

If so, it may mean that economically and socially conservative evangelicals may have some work to do. While contingent trading may work well as an economical system, does it work best in relationships? Does our free market culture mask any real grasp of "abiding"? Can we effectively embrace individualism when it comes to the economy and switch completely to "hygga" when it comes to our relationships? While "earning our way" may result in greater "creature comforts", does it better "scratch the itches of our soul"? Does an obsession with trading distort our view of The Kingdom?

Maybe Western Christians live less satisfied than Scandinavian secularists because "hygga" is really more like the Kingdom than rugged individualism when it comes to relationships?

AFTER ALL, all truth is God's truth. Maybe other cultures have "abiding" better understood and normative than we do? While being a good trader is the best economic model, maybe "hygga", abiding rather than fair trade, is the best relationship model?

Certainly worth pondering .....