@adfichter @infosec.exchange
In how many other countries have you lived so far?
I would say we live on top of the cherry on the cake. But yes, we work hard for it and pay for it like few others. Or at least, we get for what we pay:
School system: Switzerland often ranks among the top ten globally in certain subjects, especially maths.
Switzerland is very clean. Possibly only Japan has cleaner streets. Overall, the country is widely regarded as one of the cleanest in the world.
In Switzerland, the water supplied to bathrooms, kitchens, showers, and toilets all comes from the same potable drinking-water network. So, go and drink your bathing water...of course before you jump in ;-)
Health insurance is extremely expensive, but no one is left to die on the streets. No one.
The country guarantees basic subsistence and health insurance to people who cannot support themselves, funded by taxpayers at the federal, cantonal, and municipal levels.
Switzerland is among the most secure countries in the world, with very low crime, high political stability, and safety levels equal to or better than almost all developed nations. ( Although surveillance is currently moving in the wrong direction.)
Overall health and air quality are very good, better than in most countries worldwide.
Food quality in Switzerland is very high, with strict safety standards and generally fresher, better-regulated products than in most places.
...and the list goes on and on and on.
When we complain here in Switzerland, it is complaining at the highest level. And yes, in that we Swiss are probably world champions, due to our exceptionally high standard of living compared to most other countries.
But hey, I almost thank the random luck of the universe every day that I am allowed to live here. No bombs trying to kill me. No contaminated water. No famine. I can walk the streets in the darkest night. Children and teenagers cry because their phone battery is empty, not because they are terrified for their lives.
And yes, I am also grateful for our national flag!
But perhaps, for many people living in this country, a bit of gratitude for all the good they receive from Switzerland would be appropriate too, not just for the flag.
