The Balancing Act | Nothing is as good or as bad as it seems

In my home, we rarely run out of chocolates. While we don’t stock them voluntarily, they often land here in the form of gifts. 

Not that I am complaining. I eat them without guilt, even while on one of my intermittent diet plans, happily telling myself what a number of studies have said: Chocolate is good for you.

For a large part of my life I took most studies and reports seriously, until they started contradicting each other and often when reality seemed to suggest otherwise.

In the past week, I read about two studies that contradicted the general belief (based on earlier studies) about life in Denmark, with one being more troubling than the other.

The first one was a report by Det Kriminalpræventive Råd (the Crime Prevention Council) in which Denmark ranks number two on the list for the number of break-ins per home across Europe.

Now, that came as a surprise to many of us, fed as we were on a diet of reports and studies that claimed Denmark was one of the safest countries in the world. And people in this country do leave their babies out on the streets while out shopping and having a peaceful cup of coffee, don’t they?

So perhaps, for the time being, it would be safe to conclude that people in Denmark are safe from thieves, but the same cannot be said about our property.

The second, more disturbing article was about a study by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights.  According to their study of 42,000 women in 28 EU countries, Denmark ranks number one for violence against women.

About 52 percent of the Danish women who participated in this study said they had been victims of physical or sexual violence. This is well over the EU average of 33 percent.

Also, 37 percent of the Danish women indicated they were sexually harassed in the last year. The results of this study are surprising purely because Denmark consistently ranks high when it comes to gender equality.

One could take solace in the explanation that the high numbers reported were also due to the fact that in Denmark it is acceptable for women to talk about violence and sexual offences. But the incongruities are jarring.

Meanwhile, countless contradictory studies and personal experiences later, I’ve arrived at a simple truth. Things are seldom what they seem.

So for those of us trying to make sense of this country that we’re in, here’s a tip that could help you: take all studies with a pinch of salt; form your own opinions based on hard facts, not perceptions; and create your own experiences. Some of them may be bad, but there will be several good ones as well.

And remember, nothing is as good or bad as it seems at the time.

As for the studies on chocolate, they work quite well with my viewpoint – a little bit never hurt anyone.

P.S: For those of you planning to take me up on my advice, I must mention this – I’m an optimist. I could very well be part of the 80 percent of humans who, according to a study, are delusionally optimistic. This should serve as sufficient caution.




  • The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    A team of young internationals has created an app that is helping their peers connect and build friendships in Denmark, addressing the challenges of social integration.

  • New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    The documentary Greenland’s White Gold, reveals the worth of cryolite mining in Greenland to be in the billions. Over the years its value has been undermined, despite it acting like a gold mine for the Danish state. 

  • Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    On February 14 and 15, the last terrorist attack took place in Denmark. Another episode occurred in 2022, but in that case, there was no political motive behind it

  • Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    We all know Christiania and have been there at least once. But how does the Freetown work? How are decisions made? Can a person move there? Is there rent or bills to pay? British journalist Dave Wood wrote a reportage on Christiania for The Copenhagen Post.

  • The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    Isha Thapa unfolds her research “An Analysis on the Inclusivity and Integration of South Asian Women in High-Skilled Jobs within the Danish Labor Market”. Thapa describes the systemic and social challenges these women face, ranging from barriers in social capital to cultural integration.

  • Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Most parents in Denmark reject using social media parental controls despite knowing about them. A new study questions the effectiveness of these tools in ensuring children’s online safety.