{"id":45754,"date":"2021-11-03T02:19:03","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T09:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nalandabodhi.org\/?p=45754"},"modified":"2022-01-17T11:15:28","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T19:15:28","slug":"train-the-mind-playfully-taking-a-leap-with-andreas-fosdal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nalandabodhi.org\/nl\/2021\/11\/03\/train-the-mind-playfully-taking-a-leap-with-andreas-fosdal\/","title":{"rendered":"Train the mind playfully – Taking a Leap with Andreas Fosdal"},"content":{"rendered":"

His mother was an amateur musician, studied professionally and sang a lot, while his father was a horn player. He has a brother who used to be a singer and nowadays is an agent for singers. His half-sister is currently a midwife, but used to be a cellist. And his sister-in-law is an opera-singer. Andreas Fosdal is clearly surrounded by music and musicians. If not practicing themselves, then certainly in heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Andreas, he has played the Oboe since he was a young kid and these years plays in a symphonic orchestra. Being married and having two cats, he continues to live in the city where he was born, grew up, studied and found a job: Copenhagen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compared to other big cities in Europe, despite having about 1.2 million people, the capital of Denmark is relatively quiet. Andreas lives in an even more quiet area, be it not far from the centre. Although, to him, it sometimes feels far from the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Till this very day Andreas feels there is no reason to leave this city, or country for that matter. He enjoyed studying sometimes for some weeks or months in Germany or elsewhere. But certainly considering the increasing warm weather due to global warming, as he put it in our interview, \u201cI don\u2019t see any point in going South.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Recognizing the development of warmer weather, more crazy rain showers and less and less ice & snow from Frysl\u00e2n <\/em>(in the Netherlands), Andreas and I agree: Climate change is hitting us. We are both not sure what to think & feel about that. At the moment of our interview there was still little air traffic due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In Kathmandu people can now see the Himalaya-mountains again, for the first time in 25 years. We can see the effect of not-flying, but will we continue to do things like that for the sake of a happier world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not relying on polluting industries is one of the many reasons why Denmark has been at the top of the list of happiest countries in the world. When I ask Andreas why this is the case, he points to the social system. \u201cFree hospital, free library, free school. We pay a lot of tax, but it is pretty much given for benefiting everybody in the country.\u201d Something that, he said, gives – more or less – a feeling of equality and no big differences between those who are rich and those who are poor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The topic of taxes, caring for each other and how music, Buddhism and education can contribute to the well-being of everyone on this planet, is like a running thread that keeps returning throughout our interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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