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In general, Denmark is not a fearful country. \xa0You could argue, what is there to be afraid of in Denmark? \xa0It seems like a safe little corner of the world. \xa0Tax-funded social programs make it unlikely you\u2019ll go hungry or homeless, as long as you have that little yellow social service card that shows you're here legally. Your medical care and education is paid for by taxes \u2013 yours or somebody else\u2019s. \xa0Even if you lose your job \u2013 and it\u2019s very easy in Denmark for companies to get rid of workers they don\u2019t want \u2013 there is the social safety net to catch you.

I\u2019ve often thought that the social safety net is one of the reasons has so little interest in religion. \xa0When there\u2019s so little to worry about, there\u2019s not much to pray for.\xa0

Denmark also has is little of the open competition that can make life so stressful in competitive nations like China or India or the United States. Danish culture prizes consensus, not competition, and Danish children don\u2019t get any formal grades in school until they\u2019re in their teens. \xa0Any type of non-sports competition is discouraged.\xa0

So that fear that kids live with in many parts of the world \u2013 of not being the best in class, not being able to get into a good secondary school or college \u2013 of being crossed off the list at a very young age, is largely absent in Denmark.\xa0