A Finnish word for the life-long journey of character development: Sivistys

One of the greatest compliments a Finnish person can give to another is “You are a person with sivistys” (: Olet sivistynyt ihminen). This compliment reflects a person’s character, celebrating a well-rounded and developed soul. 

In general terms, sivistys means a wide range of knowledge, judgment, action, and empathy capacities. A person displaying sivistys is an independent, critical, and responsible citizen who has developed a balanced range of competencies in different areas of human experience and culture. Those qualities are something we aim for in Finnish society. 

For this reason, acquiring sivistys is a lifelong process of constant learning, re-evaluation, and growth. That is also why The Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation (known as the KVS Foundation) has labelled 2024 as the Year of Sivistys. 

Want to learn more about the word and its many meanings? Check out the article from This is Finland in the comments below!

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