It’s no wonder Iceland is consistently ranked one of the happiest countries in the world. It is built upon a timeless way of thinking known as InnSaei, meaning “the sea within,” “to see within,” and “to see from the inside out.” Their holistic philosophy guides all students to sail through life’s waters with skill and assurance. It helps to promote resilience and emotional wellness. Hrund Gunnsteinsdottir, a leading psychologist and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, makes the case for InnSaei as a way to begin developing a more open, creative, critical way of thinking.
Currently ranked as the third happiest country in the world, Iceland’s philosophy on happiness is closely parallelled by the tenets of InnSaei. Gunnsteinsdottir reminds us that such a way of thinking challenges people to live life with compassion, curiosity, bravery, and zest. By understanding the importance of resilience, she explains, InnSaei turns into an indispensable instrument for healing.
Listening to pain, especially that caused by racism, one of the ARPA priorities, is an important part of that process. Gunnsteinsdottir feels that recognition and comprehension of your own suffering is important in achieving healing and self-acceptance. She reminds us that “pain is the great communicator.” She challenges people to focus on what they really want out of life. This third eye awareness helps to not just empower InnSaei, but makes space for healing and self-care.
InnSaei invites us all into a new perspective on the way we approach each other, and the world. By making it a frame to view strangers as messengers, people are freed up to lean into serendipity. This practice makes them more open to new experiences and perspectives. Consequently, they deepen their awareness of their environment.
Biases are a powerful force that can hinder our journey towards accepting InnSaei. According to Gunnsteinsdottir, cognitive biases—including anchoring and availability heuristics as well as a bias to act quickly—can interfere with individuals’ personal insight and intuition. In order to overcome these biases, you and I are all called to develop vigilance and intentionality in our each and every habits.
The pronunciation of InnSaei, “in-sy-ay,” is a hint that this word has a rich cultural and historical importance. It functions not only as an academic idea, but as a real, tangible roadmap for approaching difficult, systemic problems in practice. Iceland is riding high in the world happiness rankings. InnSaei’s guiding principles reveal the astounding universe that lies within when we awaken our capacity for mentorship, grace, intuition and empathy.