I am a child of the seventies. At least in Sweden, solidarity was the guiding ideal of the time. There was a strong belief in living together, sharing our resources, and helping one another — within the community, but also beyond it. It went hand in hand with caring for the environment, living simply, often close to nature. High fashion was not the goal; the ideal was to make use of what one already had.

Then the eighties arrived — and everything changed.

The political and economic climate shifted rapidly toward a competitive market economy. Along with it, the ideals changed. Suddenly, personal success became the measure of a good life. You were expected to become a successful and happy individual — and it was all in your own hands.

It was quite a shift.

We entered an age of individualism that we have yet to move beyond. And yes — there is something appealing in it. To believe in yourself, to shape your own life — I feel that too.

But it is no longer just an invitation. It has become an expectation — to succeed, to stand out, to prove our worth, not only to others, but to ourselves. And somewhere along the way, we lose something important.

Loneliness. A sense of disconnection. A weakening of compassion. These seem to follow in the wake of a culture driven by constant striving and narrowly defined success.

We are said to be free — but what has happened to our responsibility toward one another?

We express ourselves, we move outward, we build identities — and yet, in the process, we risk losing something more essential.

Yes, we must find our own way.

But we must do so together.