I have a girlfriend who works in the business community in Bergen. She posted a picture a while ago, and then I was sure she had become mayor, because she wore a very eye-catching necklace over her shoulders, just like when the municipal leaders adorn themselves. But that was not the case – she had only become chairman of the Bergen Business Council. And then it gets boring. In Bergen.

Today I stayed the memory of the case, because there was more news on my friend’s LinkedIn. They have apprentices in Bergen, just like the rest of the country, only that in Bergen diplomas are handed out under very, very solemn circumstances, in Håkonshallen itself. There, the leader of the Business Council posed with his chain, the mayor with his and the county mayor with another piece of jewelery. As if that were not enough, a kind of master of ceremonies appeared on the outer flank in the picture, with a floss hat and a medieval habit.

That was by and large and a whole very colorful and shining tableau which surrounded the newly trained electricians and plumbers who had trooped up to the king’s hall in suits and bunad. You will see it put both parents and grandparents in the hall as well, in suits and bunad. I bet they sang The New Voice and that the speeches dragged the whole story from the Hanseatic League to offshore, with artisans in the lead role all the way.

Really cool, that is. I had to comment on the picture: «You are so solemn in Bergen. Does it work?”. My friend simply replied, “Works for us.” And that’s probably true – they have reportedly had a huge increase in apprenticeship contracts of 25 percent since 2012. That’s good – remember that this is our society’s new collective dream, that there will still be Norwegians who can nail it.

Now the people of Bergen have a very special interest in pomp and splendor, it probably originates from the capital period and the continental heritage along Bryggen. But the questions we others, and especially here in the north, may ask ourselves are: Do we have anything to learn from the ceremonial city of Bergen? If it works there, would it not work here too? Are we too egalitarian, too afraid to make fun of people, too afraid to make victory stools that our peers can stand on for a while?

I think so. In northern Norway, we are almost vaccinated against solemnity. You can be absolutely sure that there is some kind of fireplace that will make a joke just in time, or that will leave in the middle of the ceremony to go upstairs and smoke. You can write as much as you want in the invitation that you should meet in a nice outfit – and still be guaranteed that there will be a slap in jeans and flannel shirt. T-shirt and sweatpants are everyday – pants with a button, and a shirt, regardless of type, is a party.

This can result in that we undersell ourselves at times. While other cultures have patted each other on the shoulder for so long that they think no one reaches their knees, northerners still start with “no” when you ask them what they can do. “No, can and can, no one has cheated a little in one and the other, it is now so polite.” By all means, do not overdo it.

I noticed it well when I worked at Nofima and we were going to merge four institutes across the pretty country. At that time, it was the easterners who for their mere lives could not come up with something they were not the best at. While the others, and especially the northerners, were a bit like: «Archive system? Yes, yes, we now have an archive, it is probably reasonable, we think ». The Eastlanders’ archive was probably an extraterrestrial bra.

Pride is among the seven deadly sins, for he who believes in such things. Humility and simplicity are therefore definitely preferable. Ivar Aasen taught us that the Norwegian thrives best between hills and mountains, and not between international boasting fireplaces. And I can in no way say that the American self-selling and the accumulation of relatively daily chores represent a development in the right direction for humanity.

But then it is something called the golden mean, then. I think the people of Bergen hit the mark when they pay tribute to the apprentices; any Norwegian-mounted kitchen faucet that does not leak is worth raising the flag for. Likewise, all newcomers to heavily displaced northern Norwegian settlements could feel the same, and perhaps we must dare to go further in the marketing of the region than “here there are opportunities” (we are just not quite sure what they consist of).

It’s happening to me bragging about myself, because I need to hear that I did something good. This could possibly be because there are not many others who do it. The region can do the same. Then you have to get out of everyday life and make a little party, a proper party with a dress and bunad, to make it easier for them to be seated, and for us to endure success.

A wish to simplicity can easily slip into pettiness. It is important not to be too simple.