We are all people, talk over coffee is good

Today I got to chit chat on the internet with an artist, illustrator in Poland about using Corel PHOTO-PAINT X7 and using Angled/Rotating Guidelines. After answering his original question, I looked at his website portfolio, and as we quickly joked with each other, me saying ”I am from Sweden, country of Zlatan Ibrahimovic”, he said: ”I am from Poland, the land of emigrants”. And of course, me living in old western europe, I am all aware of people from Poland and other old eastern european countries coming to work in Sweden. We all are.

To me this is not a problem, with people coming to work in Sweden. The only thing I like, is that they get as well paid as the Swedish workers does. And it reminded me of a story, when he said he was from Poland, the land of emigrants. Me personally as you probably understand, is not anti-immigrants. Instead I love and cherish that we can travel and meet other people and cultures, and those other cultures coming to us. And this is also the way its always been through history – people moving to ther places. Immigration and emigration, is the way we humans survive. Not by living in caves in fear of others.

Offering a caffee americano to a polish guy working in Sweden, Stefan Lindblad 2015

Whenever I meet a Polish or any person working as a contractor, from another country, who actually speaks english, then we basically always talk for a few minutes. Sometimes just a few seconds.

One polish guy came with about 10 other polish guys working on houses in the neighbourhood where I live and work. I opened the window next to my Espresso Machine, and heard one guy speaking english. He was very happy to be able to finally talk about ordinary life topics with a native, a swede and not only polish collegues, after being in Stockholm, Sweden for 4 months, Such as not agreeing with me that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the greatest player on the planet. – No one is perfect, right…

I opened the window as I was making a caffee americano with fresh grinded coffee beans, favorite swedish coffee label Caffee Giusto, Nordqvist Coffee. I asked him if he wanted a cup. He laughed and took it gladly, while his collegues looked suspicious at me.They finally saw I was not dangerous or crazy. So I wind up making coffee for everyone – 11 cups of coffee, myself included. And there we stood. Me inside by the kitchen window, like a Barista making coffee for 10 polish guys. He translated to polish and we talked life, football and politics for 15 minutes. And then we all whent back to work. I enjoyed that very much. And so did the polish guys. We all met as equals. Not as immigrants and a Swede. Just as ordinary people taking fifteen minutes over coffee and meeting another human being.

My drawing of a Café in a street corner, market on Portobello Road, Stefan Lindblad 2007

In todays europe and EU with open borders, we should cherish the opportunity to meet other people, and many of us do. Unfortunatley though, throughout europe fascism and anti-immigrant politics grow. Using fear as a tool and blame gaming others, creating a ”we and them” situation. Making ”them” to a non-being. And the road to the apocalypse hell just feels more close for everyday. Fortunatly, as history have told us again and again, freedom and respect wins. but inbetween those times of freedom and respect, so much misery and war and famine and injustices.

It is about time we all just meet for coffee and talk to people we see around us.

Let peace and happiness win and conquer all.

Stefan Lindblad
Illustrator, graphic designer and artist
Stockholm, Sweden