Bahjad, Why I’m Walking Every Single Street in Helsinki

I wrote this book because I wanted to read a book like this one when I first came to Finland, and I wanted to learn a lot about the Finnish culture. I went on a walking journey in 2020 and I talked to hundreds of people in different parts of Helsinki. Here is what I learnt.Before I dive into the theme of the book, I must inform the potential readers who this book is for? I respect you even though I do not know you! Because you are a human being and you deserve my honesty and utmost respect. Accordingly, I have to say the following because I do not want to waste your time. Time is life! Therefore, this book is merely for people who love:1Health;2Simplicity;3Exploration & Adventure;4Observation;5Cultures & Languages;6Honesty;7Human Behaviours.Directly or indirectly, the book touches each of these seven human qualities. I sometimes tell stories which illustrate them; some other times I share my experiences and knowledge about them. Are you still reading this sentence? Cool!Let me tell you about the essence of the book. The book is divided into three parts:Decision, Health & ConversationDecisionIn this part, I talk about how and what goes before a decision is made. Because I am more interested in the process, not the destination. For example, when I was making the decision to walk all over Helsinki, I went through a series of steps (not actual steps, I mean by that metaphorical steps) to come to the conclusion that I wanted to walk in Helsinki systematically and therefore made history. I told myself that I was a walker. That was true with a CAPITAL T. I liked adventure and exploration. Tick. And I wanted to learn the Finnish language through conversing with people. Tick. Why wouldn’t I, then, reach a good decision?That was how I came to reach the decision to walk every single street in Helsinki.I also share tactics and the willpower to be decisive every day. I always face the decision to eat or not to eat some sort of food. Moreover, I ask myself whether to talk to a female in the streets or not. And I count the steps that will get me to the point of no return: in other words, I make the decision. So, I practise making small decisions every day. HealthIt has been said that health is wealth. Millionaires, billionaires and celebrities learn that in the hard way. The more technology and medicine we produce the more we become ill. So, how should we get our health back? What is the best way to be healthy? The answers to these questions come from an unexpected place; namely, simplicity. Some of us found out that what we already have is sufficient as long as we know how to use it. And it is not what the experts and gurus of technology say: ”more tech!”Walking regularly. Eating zero or less carbohydrates and drinking no alcohol. Smoking free. Sleeping early at night. Fasting every week. And doing the most important task in our interest and being hopeful people will make us healthy. The secret is simplicity. Really. I know this isn’t the answer the most people in our time are looking for. They want to get that magic sentence to get that female. They want to get fit while watching an athlete in their living room. I have to disappoint these people. ConversationWhat happens when one walks a lot? He walks in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. He walks different parts of the city. You’ve guessed it right—he makes lots of people from all walks of life. It is true that we don’t learn much by doing the same thing. A doctor or a lawyer who has been practising his craft for 11 years won’t be much better than a new one. It is routine.We grow when we have a particular goal and the hunger to improve day by day. Although my conversation skill hasn’t improved because I was already good at talking to strangers, what I learnt was the mentality of the people in Finland. In the end, I talked to hundreds of people—from a priest to a teacher to a researcher to a politician to a bus and taxi driver. Those people gave me the accuracy to write down another book titled Finns Explained. There Are 19 Chapters And Conclusions, Quotations And References To The Book. They Are As Follows: 1Chapter One: A Somali Spirit2Chapter Two: Somali Community3Chapter Three: Decision4Chapter Four: Courage5Chapter Five: Helsinki6Chapter Six: Pajamäki7Chapter Seven: Pasila8Chapter Eight:Food9Chapter Nine: The Refugees10Chapter Ten: Why We Must Walk11Chapter Eleven: Health is Vital12Chapter Twelve: Training The Mind13Chapter Thirteen: Observation14Chapter Fourteen: Nature15Chapter Fifteen: Slowness16Chapter Sixteen: Understanding The Finns17Chapter Seventeen: Finnish Language18Chapter Eighteen: Footpath19Chapter Nineteen: The Street Narratives20Main Conclusion21My Favourite Quotes22ReferenceConclusionI’ve written so far that this book is about simplicity. It is about practicality. It is about going against the status quo. Essentially, it is about seeing things in another way. Who could think of walking while there are trams, buses, trains and bicycles? Thesis Of The BookIn the book, I argue for the view that walking is more than a human activity. It is about slowing down mentally and physically. Stress is pandemic in affluent countries. Because people are exhausted by hurrying up and going nowhere. Producing good work is slow and focused. In the popular science of performance, we learn that the best way to learn and master a subject is to repeat the fundamentals over and over again. Thus, speed is the enemy to our wellbeing, to our performance and to achievement. Walking teaches us that slowness is really everything. Like nature which doesn’t hurry and everything is in order and complete. Walking trains us patience which is essential to writing, reading, running and other human endeavours. The next time you have the option to walk or to drive, or take the bus, remember that walking is the best form of transportation and it has many benefits to the human mind, body and soul.