On Collective Responsibility but Personal Accountability
Driving through Sweden, we saw this one street sign which became our family favorite. We translated it to mean, “Hey guys, there’s no road ahead. Don’t be dumb and drive your car into the North Sea.”
And, it was an important warning: a road would just abruptly come to an end at the edge of the continent.
We have noticed a similar lack of American-style safety precautions throughout our travels: We have traversed many a boardwalk hoping that Ben didn’t take one step too many and end up in a lake or river or marsh or ocean. We have seen cars parallel parking on the Amsterdam canals with just a few centimeters remaining between their car tires and the waterway below.
It is not a question of infrastructure though. In fact, the infrastructure throughout the countries we’ve visited has been astounding. From the small island ferries in Sweden, to the incredible mountain transit in Switzerland, to the biking infrastructure of the Netherlands, it’s clear that the investments made in transit are enormous.
This infrastructure (plus education and health care) are well supported by taxes: If our family lived in Sweden, for example, we would pay 52% of our salaries as income tax, plus mandatory 25% VAT (value added tax) on all goods and services purchased. This chart that I found helps to put the tax investment into perspective:
There is a sense of cultural responsibility here that these services be provided for all residents. It does not seem to be driven from a place of morality – and certainly not from religion. It’s more from some kind of sense of practicality.
This practicality also manifests itself in regard to individual accountability. In the Netherlands, there is an underlying assumption to (1) not be stupid and (2) take responsibility for your own actions if you are stupid.
Our friend Jill, whose dog Benny is wary of strangers, has talked about this with an anecdote. She says that on any occasion when a stranger has approached Benny and gotten a growl of warning, the response from a Dutch stranger has basically been to say, “oh, my bad!” but an American stranger is more likely to say “What is wrong with your dog?”
Similarly, we joke that the sound of an Amsterdam tram’s bell is the last sound you will hear before you die: it’s a courtesy that they warn you (that’s the collective responsibility part) but they are not planning to stop. It’s really up to you to get the heck out of the way (that’s the personal accountability part).
Eli and I have been trying to put our finger on what exactly it is that we love about European culture. Sure, everything tastes great in Paris. Everyone rides bikes in Amsterdam. Everyone is enjoying their 2 pm Aperol Spritz in Italy. A one-year maternity leave and free childcare for all is the stuff of American Working Mom dreams. These are wonderful lifestyles that make for less-stressed lives.
But, underlying this, there is something bigger. I think it’s a sense that you are expected to look after yourself– and that you will be looked after too. Society requires both. These are not mutually exclusive, they are interconnected and part of the societal fabric that makes these cultures work. I dig it.
