“Laughing with strangers feels like shedding off your worries” – How do Riikka Pulkkinen, Tommy Fränti and others lighten their minds?
In the media and in everyday life, we are faced with a variety of major concerns from the energy crisis to climate change. According to YTK’s latest Jäsenpulssi member survey, our members are most concerned about rising prices and the war in Ukraine. Luckily, the world also provides plenty of reasons, big and small, to be cheerful. Seela Sella, Saku Tuominen, Riikka Pulkkinen and Tommy Fränti talk about what brings them joy right now.
Seela Sella: “If things don't go as I expected, they’ll go some other way”
Actor, 85.
“Being worried means that you’re aware what’s going on around you and in the world, but stressing over it isn’t the right way to go about things. I know how to live in the moment, but it’s something I’ve had to learn. I live one day at a time: if things don't go as I expected, they’ll go some other way. I try to set an example for those younger than me that it’s possible to find a spark of joy and humour in each day.
I find joy in anything: friends, nature, the fact that I’m not hurting anywhere and comfortable. Sometimes you have to settle for less, but you should never let go of your dreams. They may be lofty aspirations, but you should approach them with good humour. And who knows, one of these days they could come true.
I’ve lived through both wars, and the events of 1918 have also touched me closely through my mother. My own life no longer worries me, but I am concerned for young people. Their worldview shouldn’t become too negative. Negativity means you no longer dare to dream or enjoy the little things in life. I hope that the situation in the world will calm down, along with all the rush and fuss. Let young people be who they are, live and enjoy!”
For Seela Sella, courage means daring to be yourself and stand behind your opinions. “The greatest courage is to be honest with yourself,” Seela says. Photo: Sanna Breilin / Kulttuurikone
Saku Tuominen: “Most of my worries are pretty selfish and even childish, but there is no escaping them”
Long-time entrepreneur and creative director, 55.
“We all have worries from time to time about big and small things, whether we like it or not. I worry about dozens of things all the time: will this new concept work, does the stain on my pants show, do people like me... Most of my worries are pretty selfish, unhelpful and even childish, but there is still no escaping them.
The important thing is how I deal with my worries and whether I let them control me. A great help for me has been meditation, which has become a part of my daily routine almost like brushing teeth. Thanks to it, I deal with my worries a little better now—in the past, I’d stay awake for hours at night mulling over them. Nowadays, I know that I don't have to let in the thoughts I’m thinking and get to fall asleep much faster. Still, it has taken a lot of practice.
Fortunately, while I might have dozens of things to worry about, I have hundreds or thousands that bring me joy. Those are the thoughts I try to focus on. All kinds of things bring me joy: from the big stuff such as important people in my life to the small—a delicious loaf of bread, beautiful works of art and great NHL goals.
Saku Tuominen feels he is courageous when he recognises when he’s stuck in a rut and is able to make an effort to change. “In life, it's easy to get hung up on who you are and what you might lose. That's when we start repeating the same thing and fearing failure.”
Tommy Fränti: “A problem shared is a problem halved, but don’t forget to share your joys as well”
News anchor at YLE, 50
“In my work, I talk about a lot of unpleasant things. If I worried about them, I’d be worried all the time. I’m not the worrying type, however: instead of problems, I try to focus on solutions. It’s also important that we make the world's problems visible so that they can be addressed. It's worth reading about things and trying to be prepared. After that, you just have to trust that things will work out.
Fortunately, we have much more good than evil around us. There are things we can influence and ones we can’t. In difficult times, I try to focus on what’s good in life.
Little things make me happy: spending time with my children, going for a jog in nature or gazing at the sea—and, of course, other people. A problem shared is a problem halved, but don’t forget to share your joys as well.”
Tommy Fränti reminds that fear can paralyze and prevent us from doing the things we want. “Courage is about trusting your own strengths.”
Riikka Pulkkinen: "It feels that these days, courage is defined a little differently than it was even a year ago.”
Author, 42
"My 9-year-old child has been living through some kind of crisis for the past three years. It raises the question of what kind of times we live in.
For me, poring over the latest news has been helpful, but I’ve recently felt an information overload approaching and have begun to set limits. I feel good when I’m out at the swimming pool, a dance class or the theatre—places where I can’t get information about what is happening in the world.
What brings me the most joy is spending time with people and laughing with friends and family and strangers alike. Meeting and laughing with strangers in unexpected situations is a really wonderful and refreshing experience. It feels like shedding off one’s worries.
Personally, I see climate and environmental issues as the biggest threats that people have to come up with solutions for and demand action.”
For Riikka Pulkkinen, courage means reaching out to strangers. Now, however, she feels that being in contact with strangers is at odds with this year’s events. “We've had a lot of reflecting to do about some old questions passed down from our grandparents. It feels that these days, courage is defined a little differently than it was even a year ago.” Photo: Jouni Harala / Otava
