Where to invade next? School in France and prison in Norway

Certainly, all countries around the world have much to learn from one another. Since no individual is perfect, it stands to reason that a collection of people forming a country and community will be imperfect as well, but with the potential for improvement.

In Michael Moore’s well-crafted documentary “Where to Invade Next?”, which presents a wealth of eye-opening information for the general public and beyond, I found several aspects particularly noteworthy.

The fact that French students not only dine together at school for an hour but also enjoy healthy and delicious food makes me wish I had experienced something similar. Some of the most beautiful human relationships are forged around the table, where one nourishes the body, soul, and mind with engaging discussions and positive emotions. School is an environment where a child often spends more time than with their own family, so it should be a place they enjoy being. If breaks in Romania are 10 or 20 minutes and in America students must rush from one class to another, hurriedly eating a hard pretzel, it’s no wonder they might not enjoy returning there.

Another revelation that offered me a new perspective was learning that in Norway, the prison system focuses on rehabilitation rather than retribution. The fact that inmates can vote and are provided with normal housing to serve their sentences, instead of a cold cell barely larger than a dog kennel, is fascinating. It respects human dignity, and when inmates are treated as human beings rather than monsters, they are more likely to behave accordingly.

The scenes with the reporter sitting next to a criminal, surrounded by kitchen knives, gave me a bit of a thrill, but in the end, it was clear this system works. Statistics show that in Norway, only 20% of inmates return to prison after release, compared to 80% in America, and in Romania, a mere 0.1% of ex-prisoners find employment after release, highlighting poor societal reintegration.

Sometimes comparing ourselves to other countries can be beneficial, as we can adopt their positive practices to make our own lives more meaningful and easier.

In conclusion, embracing the lessons from other nations can catalyze profound improvements in our own society, enhancing our communal well-being and creating a more humane and fulfilling environment for all.

SARAH PENYACSEK