July 22, 2011: Reflections from an outsider

For those of you who have followed the story of the murders committed by Anders Behring Breivik one year ago in Norway, I wanted to share what I've seen and heard. I don't pretend to know all the ins and outs of this event, I just wanted to write about what I have experienced. If you don't know the story, you might want to read about it. This is a departure from my normal routine where I talk about how great life is here, but it's my blog and I can do what I want! And Norway isn't all sunshine and lollipops and trolls and grandma's krumkake. Crap happens here, too. With that in mind, these are my own thoughts on what's happened. The pictures are from August 2, 2011 in Oslo.

Mari places a rose in front of

the Norwegian Royal Residence

Last year I came to Norway ten days after the country experienced it's worst violence since WWII. 77 people, most of the them younger than me, were brutally murdered by a single man with a "Christian" ideology that is not only crazy but is not consistent with itself. I arrived in the frame of mind that I had after September 11, 2001, when, to quote Toby Keith, "a mighty sucker punch came flying in from somewhere in the back." After shock and grief came anger and a desire to beat the snot out of whoever had done that to my country. Americans, maybe you went through it differently, but do you remember what it felt like? That was the closest thing to July 22nd that I had experienced, or so I thought. I imagined I would step off the plane into a country full of anger and hate, ready to roll up its sleeves and take revenge. I expected to meet people who were dominated by hate towards Breivik and fear of more people like him.

 The building in the background covered in white is part of the

government quarter where the bomb went off.

 The area was blocked off but not really being guarded.

I was surprised by how close we were allowed to get.

Roses everywhere

But this wasn't Norway's September 11th, it was their July 22nd. I was surprised at how subdued the mood was; people weren't going around talking about how much they wanted that guy to pay for what he'd done (which is what I was thinking and what I assumed everyone else would be saying). People were shocked, confused, and saddened, but mostly quiet about it. And those I was around were not visibly angry or fearful. Knowing now that Norwegians are not the most outwardly emotional of people, this makes sense looking back. My cousin, Mari, called it a "special" time for Norway, and I would have to agree. The reality was different and more complicated than I realized, and you have to let people form their own responses. That was the first challenge to my thinking.

The street (where cars usually drive) outside Oslo domkirke

Of course Sept 11th and July 22nd are different in many ways, so it was naive of me to approach the situation like I did, but that's all I had. We were attacked from the outside, Norway from within. It must hurt so much to know that one of your own countrymen would do such an unthinkable thing. But I've heard a few people say they are glad it wasn't a terror attack because they can deal with this own within their own country, and they probably don't have to worry about it happening again. As I've witnessed, there are also similarities between the two events. When something like this happens, it isn't just against the people who were attacked. It's an attack on the whole country and what it stands for. I see that it has made Norwegians think about what it is they want to stand for. And both September 11th and July 22nd have brought people from all over the country closer together and boosted national pride, for better or worse.

But following shock and sorrow, the response of the USA and Norway to their respective attacks has been largely different (again, they are completely different events and places, so some of that is to be expected). Personally, I'm impressed with the grace that has been shown to Breivik by the Norwegian people, individually and as a country. First of all, there is no such thing as the death penalty or life sentence in Norway. But beyond that, I don't think people would wish him dead even if it was legally possible. One person I talked with about it said they just want him to go to prison and understand and admit to what he's done. To live with that reality the rest of his life would be torment enough. This has made me think about my views on punishment, justice, and the value of human life (does it change after we commit an atrocious crime?) and what we "deserve." Whatever the verdict, I'm very interested to see how Norway handles Breivik when his trial is over and if there will be changes to their laws.

These attacks have the potential to change Norway more and more as time goes on. Norway has been fairly insulated since it's liberation from the Nazi's at the end of WWII. They've built themselves something close to utopia here, with a social system that not only takes care of its citizens (and most others here) from cradle to grave, but offers them incredible opportunities like free higher education. They seem to have invested their money very wisely and are focused on giving their people a good life. But my perspective, and what I think Norway will come face to face with because of these attacks, is that the best social system in the world can't make people good. It can't save you from yourself and can't insulate you from evil. You can't make people do or not do anything. You can do your best to try, but there is no guarantee. I believe that God, through his grace and power, is the only thing that can really change people and make them who they are supposed to be. My hope is that, as a result of these awful circumstances, more people, Breivik included, will know Jesus Christ and his peace, and have their lives healed and changed for real.