I just lately visited my mother and father, each properly into their seventies, at their cozy Norwegian residence, within the village the place I grew up, Røros. I discovered myself surrounded by an open panorama that appears to carry the knowledge of centuries. A standard Wednesday, with excellent climate exterior to remain inside. I had deliberate to take a couple of days off to jot down and luxuriate in some me-time, however my 8-year-old daughter and her cousin have been working round, filling the home with the form of chaos solely youthful power can carry. In the meantime, my mom, juggling grandchildren and dinner preparations, out of the blue needed to take off for a Dugnad.
Dugnad. The phrase holds a particular place in Norwegian tradition, embodying the spirit of communal effort, volunteerism, and collective accountability. Even at their age, my mother and father wouldn’t dream of lacking a Dugnad, not even when the home is crammed with visiting household. To them, and to many Norwegians, Dugnad isn’t simply an occasion—it’s a lifestyle, a declaration of belonging, and an expression of interdependence that goes again generations. As I watched my mother and father put together to contribute their time and power to a neighborhood challenge, it struck me that this deep-rooted cultural apply holds classes far past our small village. It would simply be the important thing to fixing a number of the most urgent challenges going through America at this time.
The Viking Code: A heritage of dynamic equilibrium
Dugnad is greater than only a communal job; it’s a manifestation of a cultural ethos baked into “the Viking Code”—a set of values that has guided Norwegian society for hundreds of years and for me has change into a blueprint for creating an important society the place high-performance individualism can flourish along with a robust sense of collectivism. Whereas Norwegians are fiercely unbiased and worth private freedom, there’s an equally sturdy dedication to the frequent good. Dugnad is the place these two forces meet.
In Norway, Dugnad can take many varieties: cleansing up an area park, portray a neighborhood middle, and even serving to a neighbor with their roof. It’s by no means about grand gestures however reasonably about everybody doing their half, nevertheless small. The fantastic thing about Dugnad lies in its simplicity and its capacity to unite individuals from all walks of life in a shared objective. It’s a apply that has stored Norwegian communities resilient and cohesive, even within the face of exterior pressures and inner variations.
The American paradox: Individualism vs. collectivism
In distinction, American tradition has lengthy celebrated the rugged individualist, the self-made one that pulls themselves up by their bootstraps. This ethos has pushed innovation and prosperity, but it surely has additionally fostered division and a way of isolation, significantly in occasions of disaster. The challenges of the twenty first century—international pandemics, local weather change, financial inequality—require a stage of collective motion that American society is struggling to realize.
However in Minnesota, a state with deep Norwegian roots, Governor Tim Walz’s management model resonates with the spirit of Dugnad and the core of the Viking Code. His background as a trainer and his method to governance emphasize collaboration, shared accountability, and a deep connection to neighborhood—rules that echo the Norwegian custom of Dugnad.
Whereas Kamala Harris represents a historic and progressive imaginative and prescient for America, her working mate embodies a quieter however equally highly effective potential for change. His management is rooted within the very essence of what makes Minnesota, and by extension Norwegian-American communities, distinctive: a dedication to collective well-being that doesn’t diminish particular person rights however enhances them.
Dugnad as a Declaration of Interdependence
America is at a crossroads. The polarization and fragmentation we see at this time are signs of a deeper concern: the strain between individualism and the necessity for collective motion. However what if this stress may very well be resolved? What if America embraced a brand new “Declaration of Interdependence,” modeled on the rules of Dugnad?
Think about a rustic the place communities come collectively recurrently throughout events to handle native points—the place volunteering isn’t simply an occasional exercise however a daily, anticipated a part of life. Think about companies adopting these rules, encouraging staff to contribute to neighborhood initiatives as a part of their work tradition. Think about a political system the place leaders prioritize the frequent good over partisan achieve.
What might sound like a utopian fantasy are the rules of Dugnad which were efficiently carried out in Norway for generations. Tim Walz makes a plea for such neighborhood spirit that may be tailored to suit the distinctive contours of American society, offering a framework for addressing the whole lot from financial inequality to environmental sustainability.
The Viking Code and America’s future
As what has been coined a pivotal second in American historical past approaches, the teachings from Norway can function guiding philosophy for all times. The spirit of Dugnad and the Viking Code supply a path ahead for America—a technique to bridge the divide between individualism and collectivism, to create a high-performance tradition rooted in shared values. It’s a imaginative and prescient of a society the place private freedom isn’t solely preserved however enriched by a deep dedication to the frequent good.
America has the chance to return to the trail of such a legacy—one which future generations will look again on with delight. However it should require a shift in pondering, a willingness to embrace interdependence as a energy reasonably than a weak point. It’s going to require a brand new declaration, one which honors the person whereas committing to the collective.
It’s going to require American Dugnad.
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The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary items are solely the views of their authors and don’t essentially mirror the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.
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