Pippi Longstocking and Skandinavian neutrality

Wednesday, August 10, 2022 (10:51)

As a reaction to Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, Sweden and Finland gave up their neutrality and asked to join the NATO; yesterday Joe Biden gave his kind permission, making the United States the 23rd ally to their membership. (2022-08-10 Biden Signs US Approval Documents For Finland, Sweden To Join NATO by Paula Tsoni)

This is because Pippi Longstocking and the Moomins have been repressed by Harry Potter and Percy Jackson during the last decades.

At least that’s what I synthesized from an article behind a paywall of which I heard an improvised English translation last Sunday.

Astrid Lindgren developed Pippi Longstocking during Second World War. Lindgren’s biographer Jens Andersen writes that Pippi “was a cheerful pacifist whose answer to the brutality and evil of war was goodness, generosity, and good humor.” ([Andersen2018] via Wikipedia)

The stories of Pippi and the Moomins describe how people are happy even though the world isn’t perfect. Harry Potter describes a world where evil has to be fought in order to get peace.

On Monday there was a Swedish family at the common prayer in Jaani church, and I asked them: “Do you think that Sweden will join the NATO?” - Answer: “We hope!”. I then told them the story about Harry Potter having replaced Pippi Longstockings.

I had not enough time to ask their feedback about my vision The end of the war in Ukraine.

Related Bible inspirations:

• Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9

• Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21