Dear Mom,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday the Finnish Defence Forces sent out 900,000 letters to all of the country\u2019s reservists, telling them what their role would be in a \u201ccrisis situation\u201d. Strangely, no one seems to have received one yet. And even more strangely, most of the guys I know can\u2019t wait to get theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My Facebook feed is full of posts like this: \u201cWhen is \u2018THE LETTER\u2019 going to get here?!?\u201d and \u201cOh man, I can\u2019t wait to find out where I\u2019m going to get to fight!\u201d I don\u2019t know about you, but personally I try to avoid \u201ccrisis situations\u201d at all costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So why are so many guys who spend their days in cushy jobs at ad agencies, law firms, startups, radio stations and other offices so excited about getting \u201cthe letter\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve got a few theories. Perhaps it\u2019s one or a combination of these things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Most Finnish guys really enjoy their time as conscripts. It\u2019s the quintessential boys club. It\u2019s where boys become men, learning to make their beds, fold their clothes and do sissipaska (SiPa), or \u201cguerilla shit\u201d. \u201cThe letter\u201d might feel to them like an invitation to a huge class reunion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. To be honest, many Finnish guys are kind of angry. Most of them stifle that anger and it only really comes out when they\u2019re drunk. Guys like this would love to be given a weapon and an order to fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Finland loves its war veterans. And with good reason. Like the Finnish national hockey team, these guys truly are heroes. And since making it to the Finnish national hockey team is really, really hard, war hero is the next best thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Finns are amazingly patriotic. In fact, willingness to defend the homeland is at like 80%, which is way higher than almost anyplace else in Europe and among the highest rates in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. We\u2019re not part of NATO, so we\u2019d basically be pretty screwed if \u201csomeone\u201d decided to do something crazy like invade more than just our air space or waters. And while most military forces rely on heavy artillery and weaponry, Finland relies on almost a million of the fiercest fighting machines you\u2019ll find: Finnish guys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or, it could just be that when you spend your days creating concepts at an ad agency, meeting with clients in your law office, honing your big exit strategy or DJing at a radio station, \u201cthe letter\u201d seems like a joke. The idea of ever having to actually report to your assigned post and fight seems completely unimaginable. \u201cCome on, that\u2019s never going to happen here.\u201d Yeah, that\u2019s what the German Jews thought back in 1939 when they heard those crazy rumors about gas chambers. And that\u2019s probably what people in Eastern Ukraine thought before last year, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no mail tomorrow and Sunday, but maybe \u201cthe letter\u201d will arrive on Monday….<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Love,\nLissu<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Mom, On Monday the Finnish Defence Forces sent out 900,000 letters to all of the country\u2019s reservists, telling them what their role would be in a \u201ccrisis situation\u201d. Strangely, no one seems to have received one yet. And even more strangely, most of the guys I know
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