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🇫🇮 Finland /Culture & Society

Becoming Human Does Not Fit Into Classifications

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Opinion Sources not specified Context piece
  • A person who became unemployed had to give up their study place because starting the degree would have ended their income, revealing societal inflexibility towards life transitions.
  • The article argues that society often views individuals based on their current status (student, worker, unemployed) rather than recognizing the crucial "in-between" phases where personal growth and change occur.
  • It calls for a society that acknowledges human growth beyond administrative classifications, creating conditions that support individuals in building their futures during these transitional periods.

An individual facing unemployment was forced to abandon a potential study place because enrolling would have jeopardized their income, a situation that reveals more about societal understanding of change than about one person's circumstances. This case highlights how societal structures struggle to accommodate the "in-between" phases of life.

The unemployed person had to give up their study place because starting the degree would have cut off their livelihood.

Describing the situation that prompted the opinion piece.

Human growth and transformation often happen during transitions, when individuals are no longer who they were but not yet who they are becoming. These periods offer opportunities for learning, redirection, and rebuilding one's life. However, the article contends that such transitional phases are frequently overlooked or misunderstood by existing systems.

Human growth happens in transitions. Then the person is no longer who they were, but not yet who they are becoming.

Defining the nature of human growth during transitional phases.

Finland promotes the concept of lifelong learning, yet the focus often remains on an individual's current status: student, employee, or unemployed. This administrative classification can overshadow the dynamic nature of human development. Crucial changes and personal growth occur between these defined states, as individuals upskill, seek new directions, or prepare for new careers. When administrative categories become more important than the actual life changes, the system fails to recognize the human element.

But a person's life does not proceed according to classifications. Decisive changes happen in between.

Critiquing the limitations of administrative classifications in understanding life.

While good governance requires rules, their purpose should be to facilitate, not replace, understanding through classification. The article suggests that a society truly embracing lifelong learning must recognize individuals beyond their present roles. It calls for structures that support people in building their futures, acknowledging that the process of becoming human cannot be neatly contained within administrative boxes. The author, Ari Sivenius, a docent in education science, argues that human growth transcends these classifications.

Human growth does not fit into administrative classifications.

— Ari SiveniusConcluding statement on the disconnect between human development and bureaucracy.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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