Lee Liang Ying
Many a time, what we learn in school is quickly forgotten—useful only for exams and getting good grades. However, on rare occasions, some things stick with me on a personal level. One of those occasions was when a professor of mine told us that acknowledging someone’s opinion doesn’t mean we have to agree with it. If we just refuse to listen to every opinion that we disagree with, the conversation will not progress and nothing will change. I was reminded of this logic during the Danish Dialogue Cafe.
Photo by author
Prior to the event, I had some preconceived notions about Denmark from when I visited 2 years ago. Some were good and some not so good. Especially, as someone who has lived in two countries with a Capitalism-driven fast pace of life, I disagreed with how slow and lax their customer service was. I didn’t understand why I had to wait 10min for a drink when there wasn’t a queue, or be left standing outside the restaurant. But through this event, I realized that I don’t have to agree with every society’s practices to gain new perspectives to enrich my own worldview. The important thing is to be open to those novel experiences.
For example, on the flip side of “wasting” time waiting for service, I could learn to appreciate relaxing and take things less seriously. Compared to Japanese waiters who are usually very polite and formal, the waiters in Denmark sometimes joke with customers, making the atmosphere very cordial. It was my first time feeling like everyone was enjoying the moment without rushing anywhere – you could say I tasted a new way of life. This is in line with what the guest Dr Mika Yasuoka said, “Denmark may not be a perfect society, but we can still learn from the people-centric philosophies that it has incorporated into its city building to make it more liveable”.
This is something I’ve been thinking about as I enter the last year of my university life. What is the meaning and purpose of society? From increasingly dense urban areas, automation, consumerism and a focus on constant productivity – how does human fulfillment fit into all that? Every day is structured according to school work or financial work, making it difficult to grasp what is truly meaningful work. Thus, it is even more crucial that we expose ourselves to different ways of life incongruent with our norm, so as to realize how our own society can improve.
Photo by ICC
It was interesting how most Japanese participants mentioned that they would like to speak out more, underscoring how difficult it is for them to feel comfortable sharing their opinions. For me personally, I hope to make societies more liveable by being kinder to other people and the environment – because if societies aren’t for the well-being of the people and living things that constitute it, what is it even for?
