Atlantica - 01.11.2001, Page 58

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With so many places
throughout the world that
need help, how do you
decide where to direct
your assistance?
We can’t help everyone but
everyone can help some-
one. Projects are selected
in conjunction with our
international organisation,
Action by Churches
Together (ACT ) and the
Lutheran World
Federation. We also
have a mutual
cooperation
agreement with
organisations
in India and
Ethiopia,
where pro-
jects are
selected tak-
ing into con-
sideration of
their scale and
nature. Helping
people to help
themselves is
our motto.
What is the most
cherished part of your
Christmas tradition?
The family get-together
on Christmas Eve.
Getting to be a
child
again and experiencing a
child’s joy.
If the world could make a
collective New Year's reso-
lution, what would you
wish that to be?
Peace on earth in the spirit
of Christmas and a world
full of justice, equality and
fraternity.
Where is your favourite
place to go in Reykjavík to
clear your mind and have a
few moments of peace?
The Árbær Swimming
Pool. I swim 500 metres
followed by a soak in the
hot tub and emerge as a
new man.
If friends from
abroad visit
Iceland, what
sites do you
show them?
I once took my
American fos-
ter-mother up
onto the
Langjökull glaci-
er. She thought it
would be the end
of her. Since then
I've kept to tamer
locations such as
Thingvellir,
Gullfoss and Geysir.
What concerns you
most about Icelandic
society?
Drug abuse, the situation
of the poor and the blind-
ing materialism which
many suffer from.
What are the most posi-
tive features of Icelandic
culture?
We are forward-thinking
and open to new things.
We stick together when
times get hard.
Do you have a particular
fondness for any of the
galleries or museums
here?
I work in the same building
as the Living Art Museum
so therefore I should show
some support for my
neighbours!
Where is, in your opinion,
the most beautiful land-
scape in Iceland?
I grew up in the Eyjafjördur
fjord in north Iceland
where the mountains are
beautiful and the meadows
are green. The valleys of
Landmannalaugar are also
very majestic and their
colours in the sunlight are
magnificent.
Iceland is freckled with
churches of all shapes
and sizes. Do you have
a soft spot for any par-
ticular church?
There's no church
like the Akureyri
church. It brings
back great
memories.
56 A T L A N T I C A
Jónas Thórisson is the head of the National Church Aid Organisation, which provides assistance to
numerous international organizations, including one that is currenty collecting funds for Afghanistan.
Atlantica caught up with Thórisson as he prepared for the busy Christmas season.
The Atlantica
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