The national tree of Finland is the silver birch. The birch is the star of Midsummer celebrations that mark the longest day of the year (about three weeks from now). Birch branches are used as whisks (’vihta’) in the sauna and as decorations especially in Midsummer.
Every year, a large birch can sow one million seeds to the wind. Many of those land on barren rocks and other places that are not good for spreading out roots. Only a small fraction succeed to germinate and grow into new trees.
The growth of people is little more complicated than the growth of the birch. Once basic needs are taken care of, we hope that people grow in terms of their ethics, character, courage, skills, utilization of talents… you know, all that stuff.
We hope for the best, and outcomes can be surprising both in good and bad. Successful people can emerge from dismal circumstances, and socio-economically successful parents can have beautiful, smart, kids who stray in awful ways.
What are sunlight, soil, and rain in terms of human development? This brings to mind some Finnish concepts that are old and little tricky to translate.
The core concept is sivistys. It’s often rendered as something relating to ‘education’, ‘culture’, ‘civilization’, or ‘enlightenment’, but such words barely scratch the surface. At its root, “sivistys” means morality and decency, and the verb sivistää meant to tidy, clean, or refine something to a better state. Sivistys is a lifelong process of personal and cultural maturation, a kind of inner and outer refinement.
If “sivistys” is the broad art of cultivation, then the deep soil preparation is captured by sielun sivistys. It translates roughly to the ‘cultivation of the soul’ or, more aptly, the cultivation of one’s essence. I think it resonates with the Jungian concept of individuation, encompassing the fundamental being, the spirit, the very heart or driving principle of a person. “Sielun sivistys” is aimed at the profound and holistic refinement of this innermost self.
A closely related concept, sydämen sivistys—the ‘cultivation of the heart’—focuses on nurturing empathy, honesty, justice, and fairness. It’s about learning to genuinely encounter, listen to, and understand others, fostering the relational qualities that allow “sielu” to connect authentically with the world. Without this “heart-cultivation” the deeper work on the self might remain arid or disconnected.
These aren’t quick fixes or items to tick off a list. It’s not a matter of reading books and taking courses, which are known as kirjasivistys, a term that can serve almost as a pejorative to describe regurgitation of information that is not integrated and embodied in the person as true knowledge.
“Sivistys” is a lifelong project of becoming, and it takes place moment by moment. It’s not the afterwards analysis of events and choices, and it’s not the story you tell about them—by then the real thing is already long gone. Instead, it’s about presence, the bringing of awareness to the immediate experience.
It can have a revelatory effect, as it sheds light on the conventional theatrics of everything. And without it we’re left with mediocre results if not outright disasters: Santa better rip his beard off if it catches fire.
And, because “sivistys” is about presence, it has a spontaneity to it: it points to deeper truths that demand action. It’s like an actor going off the script in order to express their deepest sense of the character they’re portraying.
When it’s needed, true “sivistys” interrupts unthoughtful action, the mere going through motions. It jams the conveyor belt of life in order to elevate the situation through humor, empathy, caring, justice, creativity, intelligence, courage, deeply embodied practical skill… to bring some soulful ‘sielun sivistys’ and heartfelt ‘sydämen sivistys’ to the world.
You might also be interested in The Season of Reveal: Finland in the Light of Budgets, Memes, and Poems.
I’m writing a book on… eh, let’s call it social innovation. This blog expands on it, reflecting on news stories and current event. Subscribe to stay tuned—it’s free.
By subscribing to my Substack, you’ll get a monthly summary in email, but you won’t get any spam or separate notifications for each post.