Friends,

We are asked to stay home, keep our distance and be cautious.

In Finland, the people and the government are very reasonable, decades of crazy capitalism haven’t washed away their concern about the common good and the way they care. I’ve learned from my 8 years in Finland, that although Finns could seem a bit cold at times, they do care. From this country, from this space of safety in a tense and uncertain global context, I send all my best energy and courage to you my friends.

We are closing doors but we aren’t closing down. It is crucial to maintain a connection between us, our friends, family, colleagues, and neighbours to be able to get through these challenging times of isolation and the inevitable stress that goes with it.

This global STOP could also be taken as an invitation to re-think the interconnectedness of the world, all our relationships, our societal models, the ways that we align with our values, and an invitation to imagine new and different ways to co-create a future.

I have been in the social and impact field for 10 years now, as an entrepreneur mainly. It’s not a lot but I can say that I’ve seen enough. When I think about the next generations and the burdens they’ll have to deal with, it sometimes (often) brings me to tears, because the truth is simply overwhelming. Not even grown-ups and yet they already have terrible burdens.

It was there, and we knew it. It was discussed during the Paris agreement about climate change: we should reduce the flights, slow down globalization, reduce CO2 emissions, etc. It was there, we knew it but hey we failed and yet this almost invisible thing, a virus, did just that.

This virus, it spares the youngest and with no minimization of the terrible pains endured by older patients, I’m thinking that for once, the youth is spared. It invites me to be willing even more than ever to do everything, and even more, to lift this burden of a toxic future from their shoulders.

We worry, and that’s natural, but just remember that worrying kills creativity. Stay creative, make time for thinking, and imagining. Let’s reinvent this society.

It’s possible. It’s completely possible. In North Finland, the city of Ii already transitioned to sustainability and received the visit of President Niinistö a few weeks ago. They got it all.

We need to transition now. We need to reconnect to art and culture(s), to creativity and passion. More now than ever they will be our tools to imagine and build a future. A future we can build together, built upon our values and in alignment with an ethics based on a sustainable common good. The only limitation is our imagination. And, dear friends, it starts with us.

Take care, Eva - March 17th, 2020

Many thanks Urs Riggenbach, Robert Stewart Jr and França Raysa for your inputs.