A new world beyond the shadows

Karl Balloch

Alexander the Great (who was tutored by Aristotle from the age of 13 to 16, died at
the age of 33, and advertised his death as a beggar) had to cope with a unique
species of horse. The horse was a beautiful but obstinate, scary, and annoying
creature.This horse refused to let anyone ride it. Despite his father Philip's
disapproval, Alexander persisted in his efforts to tame the horse. When young
Alexander realized that the horse was terrified of its own shadow, he grabbed the
horse's neck and turned its head toward the sun. When the horse's eyes meet the
sun, it is liberated from its fear of the horse walking alongside it (its own shadow).
Alexander fell madly in love with the horse, which he named Bucephalus. It literally
means "bull's head." Bucephalus, with Alexander on its back, battled boldly in the
middle of gleaming swords and blood fountains. Bucephalus died of old age and was
buried in what is now Pakistan. Alexander named a city in honour of his devoted
mute companion. The same horse was formerly terrified of its own shadow, but after
gazing at the sun, we don't know where his dread went, but he transformed from a
rebellious and fearful animal to a symbol of fear to his master's foes. Moreover, he
made history by fighting the most brutal fights. To grasp this technique of moving
our gaze away from the shade and focusing on the sun, we must examine the Walt
Waltman statement, "Turn your face to the sun and the shadow will fall behind you."
Its clear and concise meaning is to concentrate on the positive and dismiss the
negative things. Such counsel is given to people of all ages in every person, family,
and society. Positive and negative things are weighed based on their long-term
impacts, not short-term pleasures. In Finland, the presence of immigrants in the
country is being portrayed negatively, which is increasing people's hostility toward
immigrants in general, and various ethnic groups in particular. It has effects on both
society and the economy. Finland is a country with a fast-declining working-age
population. All major parties agree that the country requires skilled labour.
According to a poll, 26% of employees in the food and cleaning industries are from
immigrant background. Regrettably, the amount of highly educated or professional
people who are forced to abandon their field of experience and education to pursue
this vocation is not included in this research.
Conversely, Finland accounts for 70% of the working-age population, according to
Pekka Myrskylä's study report. The vast majority of them are young adults. Instead,
programs and arrangements were designed with the working class in mind so that
they might enter the labor market and help the economy. However, propaganda
against this particular ethnic group is intensifying, and as a result, the unemployment
rate among this specific ethnic group is 32%. Unemployed people who file for Social
Security benefits while legally entitled unknowingly provide their opponents with
additional evidence that they are siphoning off government money for free.
On the one hand, ethnic bias is reducing employment chances. On the other side,
being blamed for digesting taxpayers' money creates despair, an inferiority complex,
and a loss of self-confidence in many people. The constant repetition of such claims
widens the gap between social groupings. Unaware of the consequences, people
from migrant backgrounds are leaving more negative evidence against themselves
by gathering in a city, a street, or even an apartment based on language, ethnicity,
and geography. It demonstrates that people's attention is drawn to the "shadow"
(dark and unpleasant things) rather than the sun (bright or positivity).
If anti-immigrant groups are genuinely and sincerely concerned about the country
and its economy or are worried about the consumption of taxpayers' money, they
would have enlisted the assistance of these people, special groups, or ethnic groups
and planned and moderated public opinion so that they could get a job or do
business and pay taxes. But, to fuel bigotry in politics, bigots want their targeted
victims to make as many mistakes as possible. They would rejoice if anybody from a
particular background committed a crime. As a result, they can utilize statistics to
obtain widespread sympathy and votes. It should be reminded that garnering
general support and a high number of votes does not imply accuracy or having the
correct viewpoint. Adolf Hitler won widespread support during his reign for his
repeated racial slurs directed at Jews, who made up less than 1% of the German
population. Hitler used radio, television, newspapers, commercials, songs,
educational institutions, offices, publications, books, theatres, and movies to
captivate public support and justify the slaughter of six million Jews. However,
history has shown that removing the stain of innocent Jewish blood from Germany's
history is impossible. One cannot understand how a lunatic kidnapped the land of
philosophers, economists, psychologists, writers, poets, educators, scientists, artists,
and inventors with phoney slogans. Even today, hundreds of years later, heads of
state, popes, and public figures apologize for mistakes made hundreds of years
before. Those "popular decisions" were backed by the masses.
Finland's political elites and civil society should be aware of changing societal
thinking. Why are people easily persuaded to relocate inside the country to a specific
city, town, or even the same street based on nationality, language, and ethnicity?
What are their concerns, and why are they skeptical of a bright future? There may be
an unnamed fear and anxiety about the future driving the refugees to Helsinki,
Espoo, and a few other towns. Anti-immigrant groups that are opposed to the influx
of refugees coming to Finland, or who believe that immigrants are a financial burden
on the economy, or political workers who seek harsher court sentences for
immigrant lawbreakers, must also encourage, guide, and assist unemployed
migrants in finding work or establishing a business. There are two things to keep in
mind. First, Finland is a signatory to the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees, and
as a member of the EU obligated by international human rights treaties and EU
regulations, it cannot send back refugees to their native countries without a
compelling reason. Second, all registered political parties, whether far-right or left
wings, love Finland and are dedicated to preserving its dignity and international
image.
The most incredible way to decrease the economic burden of refugees on the
economy is to set minor disagreements aside and collaborate to create a pleasant
atmosphere for them in society, the media, and the public. Making friends and
hearing and sharing with one another can also help to bridge gaps between social
groups. The exact amount of energy is expended in bullying people as a member of a
specific political organization as it is in being the face of one's homeland, Finland,
through positivism. It is important to know whether you are focusing on "the shadow
or the sun."People from migrant backgrounds should be vigilant of opportunists in
their midst as well so that they can make autonomous strategies to project a positive
image as people in order to encourage rather than mislead their host communities.
Many supporters and well-wishers of immigrants in Finland desire positive and
inspiring news so that they can get support for them from all walks of life. It is also
critical that people from migrant backgrounds integrate into the local community
rather than live in tiny groups. This will help them learn the language, develop social
skills, and boost their chances of finding work. As immigrants, If you want to get
together to live in the same locality, street, or even apartment where people from
your cultural and linguistic background live, you may find some temporary
psychological comfort, but your personal growth will slow down. Because your
neighbour, friend and friendships, spoken language, and social environment will be
same where you migrated from. You will be living in your native environment both
psychologically and socially. Moving to a new nation entails learning a new language,
adopting new social norms and etiquette, trying new foods, and establishing new
acquaintances; in short, starting a new life.
Religion and belief are not included because they are very personal matters. People
of different faiths can speak the same language, be citizens of the same nation, and
have the same social etiquette and customs.The main emphasis is on social life
outside the home. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, according to an English
proverb. There would be confusion if we do in Rome what the Greeks do in Athens.
As humans, we have a greater potential for transformation than Bucephalus. Positive
thinking articles, books, lectures, counselling, TV series, and movies are all
"Alexander the Great" endeavours to get us to grip our necks and turn our faces to
the sun. The shadows and despair fade away when we turn our faces toward the
sun. Then a new chapter of communal harmony in history will begin.