As I look back on my journey to Finland, where I visited 50 different saunas, I realize that I signed no waiver forms at any of these saunas. Zero.
I was prompted to consider this fact while reading the wonderfully written thought provoking article entitled: “Like the United States, Finland has a capitalist economy. Why are Finns so much happier than us? by Paul Constant in Business Insider Magazine. The article references:
In her brilliant and accessible book “The Nordic Theory of Everything,” author Anu Partanen argues that Finland offers a blueprint to any nation interested in embracing a more compassionate capitalism, which she describes as the “Nordic theory of love.”Â
– Paul Constant, “Business Insider Magazine, February 14, 2020
More compassionate capitalism. Doesn’t that sound compelling? A component of more compassionate capitalism is caring for others, yes, but it is also self responsibility. US is a litigious society. Not so in Finland. They don’t stand for that shit. People trust one another and are much less suspicious. For example, the only rule on the wall of Sampasauna, the free public sauna in Helsinki is: “don’t be stupid.”
No waiver forms are needed in Finnish saunas.