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As a Norwegian who has lived in the Netherlands for 3 years, I'd say there is many similar traits there. The dutch are known as traders and business men but don
by jernfrost 9y ago
As a Norwegian who has lived in the Netherlands for 3 years, I'd say there is many similar traits there. The dutch are known as traders and business men but don't seem particularly concerned with opulence. The attitude towards public display of wealth seems very similar to the Scandinavian view.
The richest man in Norway Olav Thon, has very similar behavior to Kamprad. He drives an old car, doesn't wear particularly fancy clothes. For him it seems more about the game. He loves the game of doing business and winning. It is not what you can do with money personally that matters.
Younger Scandinavian billionaires seem more into spending their money though. The American lifestyle and values are definitely spreading.
- vanderZwan 9y agoI agree, the similarities are striking. For example, we have our own version of the Law of Jante, known as "maaiveldcultuur", or "mowing field culture". It refers to the expression "je moet je kop niet boven het maaiveld uitsteken", which roughly translates to "don't stick out your head above mowing height". In England this is also known as "tall poppy syndrome", and you can probably guess what it means. > For him it seems more about the game. He loves the game of doing business and winning. It is not what you can do with money personally that matters. Apparently, one of Kamprad's motto's was that happiness is not reaching the goal, but the journey itself. I suspect that almost all people who are outliers in their field (be that businesspeople, top athletes, anything) share this attitude. Becoming rich is an external motivation. Enjoying "the game" itself is an intrinsic one. When it comes to getting people to move mountains, the latter works much better.