In New Zealand, nobody misbehaves in an unlocked, unsupervised library. The country appears too good to be true – The Indian Express

If New Zealand was a person, they would be in the reckoning for winning most beauty contests: Physical charm, a liberal as prime minister who made international headlines by bringing her infant to the UN General Assembly, and a populace that is, by and large, pleasant and friendly. Whats not to admire? In a world beset by disease, war and prejudice, it appears to be a place in a fairytale in fact, one of the greatest series of fantasy films, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, was produced there. Even the mafia has a social conscience in paradise last year, gang leaders worked with the government to urge communities traditionally wary of the public health system to get vaccinated. Now, the goody-two-shoes of the global classroom has gone a step farther.

Earlier this month, during a national holiday, the electronic doors and automated book issuing software in one of the countrys finest libraries Turanga in Christchurch were left open and unattended. Did teenagers deface the books? Did petty criminals steal some of the pretty expensive artworks housed in there? Of course not. The bibliophiles went in, returned books and got new ones, barely noticing that they had a run of the place. Apart from one letter complaining about the lack of service at the CD-lending counter, people werent even that upset.

Now, the caveats. First, in an age of PR-driven narratives, if things appear too good to be true, they probably are. When the other shoe drops cry the pessimists among us it will hit us on the head all that much harder because New Zealand has been the good news country for so long. And then, there is much in the accusation that good, beautiful and pleasant often equals boring. But given divisive domestic politics, a brewing global conflict and the devastation of the pandemic, all of this may just be jealousy. Let us be bored for a bit, please.

This editorial first appeared in the print edition on March 17, 2022 under the title Goody-goody Kiwi.

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In New Zealand, nobody misbehaves in an unlocked, unsupervised library. The country appears too good to be true - The Indian Express