Switzerland is an incredibly scenic, tiny, land-locked nation, one quarter the size of Wisconsin. Diverse in topography, climate and culture, it is complex, and rife with contradictions.
Our Turner Hall Swiss Heritage tour group for two weeks experienced Switzerland, ranging from high-end touristy sites to the relatively non-touristy farm and cheese country resembling Green County, Mediterranean Italian Switzerland, French-speaking wine country and the international city of Geneva.
For anyone trying to understand this unique and complex nation, "Swiss Watching: Inside the Land of Milk and Money," should be required reading. Best-selling British author, Diccon Bewes, writes with humor and keen insight explaining his adopted Switzerland, doubtlessly helping the Swiss themselves to understand their own unique nation.
Bewes reminds readers that Switzerland, now one of the world's wealthiest, as recently as 150 years ago was Europe's poorest nation, lacking natural resources with the exception of wood and water. In 1863, Thomas Cook led a group of hardy British tourists on an initial tour through Switzerland. This was well before Switzerland's tourism-friendly infrastructure including restaurants, hotels, roads, rail and convenient hiking paths. This pioneering tour led to subsequent tours. The Swiss were alert and pragmatic enough to recognize its clear Alpine air and incredibly beautiful scenery as an asset, a source of cold, hard cash.
The subsequent development of a transportation system including roads, tunnels, bridges and rail not only served a burgeoning tourist industry, but served the broader objective of economic development by connecting cantons and mountain valleys previously separated by steep mountain passes. Even with its difficult topography requiring costly bridges and tunnels, the Swiss transportation system is now arguably the world's most efficient.
The Swiss economy, once based exclusively on agriculture, now imports the raw materials to convert into products ranging from the world's finest chocolate and time pieces, to chemicals and pharmaceuticals. But they have not abandoned agriculture, and are willing to subsidize it as a complement to tourism. Scenic mountain slopes with contentedly grazing cows would not have the same tourism appeal if left to deteriorate to scrub brush. This is just one example of Swiss pragmatism - they go with "what works."
The Swiss are known for their frugality. We can laugh at ourselves over the proposition that copper wire was invented by a couple of Swiss boys tugging on a penny. This heralded Swiss frugality is widely misunderstood. It is not about depriving oneself of the finer things in life - it is about managing your resources so that you can have the finer things in life, and this requires some deferred gratification.
The Swiss are perfectly willing to spend money. For example, to dine in Swiss restaurants requires spending some dough. The Swiss dine out and take vacations. But they insist on, and enjoy, quality. And with those prices, they pay their work staff a living wage. Gratuities are built into the price of restaurant meals, and working staff do not have to depend on public assistance.
Swiss frugality and care in husbanding their resources leads to another contradiction. Permission must be obtained to cut down a tree - even on one's own property. That's unreasonable to Americans. But the Swiss have been harvesting trees for centuries and, through conservation, continue to do so. That's another example of the pragmatic Swiss going with "what works."
Even though Switzerland is one of the most highly regulated countries in the world, it ranks at the top of the list, along with the Scandinavian countries, for being most satisfied with their government and way of life.
With their foresight and care of resources, it is no coincidence that Swiss, money, and banking, go together. The Swiss don't generally like gambling, a negative sum game. It's far better to own the casino.
When they lost their last offensive battle in 1515, the Swiss decided there must be a better way, like neutrality, and avoiding war, if possible. Sometimes wars need not and should not be fought. For example, if one were to compile a lengthy list of world problems, Communist Vietnam would not even make the list.
Nevertheless, once tragic mistakes have been made, war sometimes becomes unavoidable. With more visionary policies after the First World War, the Second big European War might have been avoided. But once Der Fuehrer came to power with ambitions of world domination and policies of genocide, it was necessary to stop him.
Switzerland's neutrality during WWII is often criticized. But it's easy for a nation once protected by vast oceans, with friends to the north and south, to criticize a small nation totally surrounded by the Axis powers. Switzerland was ready to fight if invaded, but managed neutrality.
Universal military service is required of all Swiss males. There is currently no inherent danger of invasion of Switzerland by a foreign power. So why continue this practice?
One explanation is that it serves as a common, unifying experience in a nation with four languages and diverse cultures. A common experience, at least for American males, was once a positive, albeit unintended, result of the American military draft.
Instead of participating in wars, Switzerland has led the world in hosting organizations devoted to humanitarianism and peace. Geneva is home to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The "Geneva Conventions" dealing with rules of war are named for its host city where they were drafted.
Geneva has long hosted many organizations affiliated with the United Nations. Yet, another contradiction, Switzerland itself did not join the United Nations until 2002. With its history of internationalism, Geneva remains a natural venue for difficult international negotiations.
While Switzerland is seen as a safe haven, and Geneva is seen as an "International Village," in some ways, it remains fiercely independent. Switzerland has resisted joining the European Union and retains its own currency, the Swiss Franc.
Complex, diverse, idiosyncratic, but pragmatic and incredibly successful - perhaps we can be forgiven for some ethnic pride in the land of our ancestors.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
His column appears Fridays in
the Monroe Times.
Our Turner Hall Swiss Heritage tour group for two weeks experienced Switzerland, ranging from high-end touristy sites to the relatively non-touristy farm and cheese country resembling Green County, Mediterranean Italian Switzerland, French-speaking wine country and the international city of Geneva.
For anyone trying to understand this unique and complex nation, "Swiss Watching: Inside the Land of Milk and Money," should be required reading. Best-selling British author, Diccon Bewes, writes with humor and keen insight explaining his adopted Switzerland, doubtlessly helping the Swiss themselves to understand their own unique nation.
Bewes reminds readers that Switzerland, now one of the world's wealthiest, as recently as 150 years ago was Europe's poorest nation, lacking natural resources with the exception of wood and water. In 1863, Thomas Cook led a group of hardy British tourists on an initial tour through Switzerland. This was well before Switzerland's tourism-friendly infrastructure including restaurants, hotels, roads, rail and convenient hiking paths. This pioneering tour led to subsequent tours. The Swiss were alert and pragmatic enough to recognize its clear Alpine air and incredibly beautiful scenery as an asset, a source of cold, hard cash.
The subsequent development of a transportation system including roads, tunnels, bridges and rail not only served a burgeoning tourist industry, but served the broader objective of economic development by connecting cantons and mountain valleys previously separated by steep mountain passes. Even with its difficult topography requiring costly bridges and tunnels, the Swiss transportation system is now arguably the world's most efficient.
The Swiss economy, once based exclusively on agriculture, now imports the raw materials to convert into products ranging from the world's finest chocolate and time pieces, to chemicals and pharmaceuticals. But they have not abandoned agriculture, and are willing to subsidize it as a complement to tourism. Scenic mountain slopes with contentedly grazing cows would not have the same tourism appeal if left to deteriorate to scrub brush. This is just one example of Swiss pragmatism - they go with "what works."
The Swiss are known for their frugality. We can laugh at ourselves over the proposition that copper wire was invented by a couple of Swiss boys tugging on a penny. This heralded Swiss frugality is widely misunderstood. It is not about depriving oneself of the finer things in life - it is about managing your resources so that you can have the finer things in life, and this requires some deferred gratification.
The Swiss are perfectly willing to spend money. For example, to dine in Swiss restaurants requires spending some dough. The Swiss dine out and take vacations. But they insist on, and enjoy, quality. And with those prices, they pay their work staff a living wage. Gratuities are built into the price of restaurant meals, and working staff do not have to depend on public assistance.
Swiss frugality and care in husbanding their resources leads to another contradiction. Permission must be obtained to cut down a tree - even on one's own property. That's unreasonable to Americans. But the Swiss have been harvesting trees for centuries and, through conservation, continue to do so. That's another example of the pragmatic Swiss going with "what works."
Even though Switzerland is one of the most highly regulated countries in the world, it ranks at the top of the list, along with the Scandinavian countries, for being most satisfied with their government and way of life.
With their foresight and care of resources, it is no coincidence that Swiss, money, and banking, go together. The Swiss don't generally like gambling, a negative sum game. It's far better to own the casino.
When they lost their last offensive battle in 1515, the Swiss decided there must be a better way, like neutrality, and avoiding war, if possible. Sometimes wars need not and should not be fought. For example, if one were to compile a lengthy list of world problems, Communist Vietnam would not even make the list.
Nevertheless, once tragic mistakes have been made, war sometimes becomes unavoidable. With more visionary policies after the First World War, the Second big European War might have been avoided. But once Der Fuehrer came to power with ambitions of world domination and policies of genocide, it was necessary to stop him.
Switzerland's neutrality during WWII is often criticized. But it's easy for a nation once protected by vast oceans, with friends to the north and south, to criticize a small nation totally surrounded by the Axis powers. Switzerland was ready to fight if invaded, but managed neutrality.
Universal military service is required of all Swiss males. There is currently no inherent danger of invasion of Switzerland by a foreign power. So why continue this practice?
One explanation is that it serves as a common, unifying experience in a nation with four languages and diverse cultures. A common experience, at least for American males, was once a positive, albeit unintended, result of the American military draft.
Instead of participating in wars, Switzerland has led the world in hosting organizations devoted to humanitarianism and peace. Geneva is home to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The "Geneva Conventions" dealing with rules of war are named for its host city where they were drafted.
Geneva has long hosted many organizations affiliated with the United Nations. Yet, another contradiction, Switzerland itself did not join the United Nations until 2002. With its history of internationalism, Geneva remains a natural venue for difficult international negotiations.
While Switzerland is seen as a safe haven, and Geneva is seen as an "International Village," in some ways, it remains fiercely independent. Switzerland has resisted joining the European Union and retains its own currency, the Swiss Franc.
Complex, diverse, idiosyncratic, but pragmatic and incredibly successful - perhaps we can be forgiven for some ethnic pride in the land of our ancestors.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
His column appears Fridays in
the Monroe Times.
