On topic if you see to the OP, but off topic is you see to the direction the thread took. Anyway, here goes.
"Lagom" is a word in Swedish with the meaning "just enough"
Not "barely", but "just enough, good enough".
Meaning in Swedish is, and this is where the swedes state of mind plays a large part, don't stick out. That is the way swedes are brought up by their in-heritage and their history. Luckily more and more swedes oppose this but there is still more than enough of it to go around.
Lagom in Sweden is means just enough. Fun but not too fun. Rich but not too rich. Hansom but not too hansom. Clever but not too clever. In other words, medium, mediocre.
In effect it also means that you shouldn't try to be more than your neighbor. If you do the community will bash you. If your neighbor thinks he is or act like he is in some way superior to you, then bash him. In fact, if your neighbor really
is superior to you, well, bash him.
I understand what the OP drives at but if we take the above written into consideration, is "lagom" what we want
EU to be?
If you would like some more insight in the mentality of the swedes, google "Jante, jantelagen" (The law of Jante)
Another man that is to be hold responsible for the way swedes live their lives is "Martin Luther", not to be mixed up with Dr. King.
Steve Mischief Sunderland
Swede, but not always proud of it, sad to say