him?
He showed up one hour later. He just came and met us, and from there on he was on board.
As Jón’s wife, you were very close to everything that was happening in the campaign, you were right in the middle of it day and night, but you also seem to have this ability to step back and see the big picture.How did that ability help guide Jón and other members of the party in decision-making?
With me, I recognize geniuses, and I recognize genius ideas. It hits me. Jón is a genius. Then, all of these genius ideas he is getting, and all these other people also, so maybe that’s why I’m like a good casting director—I can see them, I can pick them out. They are geniuses but with good hearts, and they’re brave, and—this is key—they have what it takes to be on the frontline. They’re singers, they’re in a band, they know how to be onstage, which helps a lot.
But that’s not my thing. I always love to help people go further, for their own mission. To see what suits them, what helps them to grow, and what’s the next step to go a little bit out of their comfortable zone. I encourage them—“Go, go, go, go, go, go out of your comfort zone.” In so many ways, it also has to do with the city, with the country, with Iceland. I want us all to go further. But it suits me to be in the background and supporting them. I love it when there are artists that can wake the mass up—the mass of people. I need to be somewhere supporting the people that can wake the mass up. Then I’m happy.
Another role you played was what I would call “energy conductor,” helping to monitor the energy during the campaign—when to go full force, when to pull back, when to rest .
I’m like the bird. I have the view. Maybe it’s needed when people are in a new situation, as all of them were at the time. Each and every one had their role. But it’s difficult to have the view at the same time. So I was the one with the view.
Did you find yourself more having to tell them to pull back or to charge forward?
Go. More “go, go, go, go.” Just a few times, I had to say to pull back and rest and not go into the dirty wrestling of politics. Get ready for when our opening was there to squeeze in—to walk in, not squeeze even—an opening of energy to go, go, go.
Someone who knows you very well said, “People instantly trust Jóga. They would jump off cliffs for her.” But if this were so, I think you would jump first .
People trust me. I don’t have a bad direction for people. I have a good heart.
If people are jumping off cliffs for you, then I would think they are jumping into a sea of love .
Well, they’re jumping into something very interesting at least.
It might be a little choppy at times—
And fun, it’s got to be fun. And something they probably thought they needed to do for a long time. I’m not pushing people. I’m more following and supporting the directions they want to go.
And that’s certainly true of Jón and the campaign. You knew better probably than him that he needed to do this, that people needed for him to do this. I think one reason people may trust you so much is that you have this very powerful trust in instinct. You put it beautifully when you called it “loyalty to the force.”
Yes, that’s how I feel. You must have “loyalty to the force,” the energy.
I was interested to know that your father was a sailor, and you traveled with him a lot .
He was on container ships, sailing from Iceland through all Europe. I went with him on many, many trips, from the time I was about six years old. This had a lot to do with shaping who I am, learning probably more than I know from all of these sailors, and being sometimes the only girl on board—seven years old, eight years old—and being allowed to work with my dad for two weeks. I was always doing something—helping the guys out painting, or helping the cook, or doing dishes. To be part of the crew. I was very young, but I was part of the crew.
And
He showed up one hour later. He just came and met us, and from there on he was on board.
As Jón’s wife, you were very close to everything that was happening in the campaign, you were right in the middle of it day and night, but you also seem to have this ability to step back and see the big picture.How did that ability help guide Jón and other members of the party in decision-making?
With me, I recognize geniuses, and I recognize genius ideas. It hits me. Jón is a genius. Then, all of these genius ideas he is getting, and all these other people also, so maybe that’s why I’m like a good casting director—I can see them, I can pick them out. They are geniuses but with good hearts, and they’re brave, and—this is key—they have what it takes to be on the frontline. They’re singers, they’re in a band, they know how to be onstage, which helps a lot.
But that’s not my thing. I always love to help people go further, for their own mission. To see what suits them, what helps them to grow, and what’s the next step to go a little bit out of their comfortable zone. I encourage them—“Go, go, go, go, go, go out of your comfort zone.” In so many ways, it also has to do with the city, with the country, with Iceland. I want us all to go further. But it suits me to be in the background and supporting them. I love it when there are artists that can wake the mass up—the mass of people. I need to be somewhere supporting the people that can wake the mass up. Then I’m happy.
Another role you played was what I would call “energy conductor,” helping to monitor the energy during the campaign—when to go full force, when to pull back, when to rest .
I’m like the bird. I have the view. Maybe it’s needed when people are in a new situation, as all of them were at the time. Each and every one had their role. But it’s difficult to have the view at the same time. So I was the one with the view.
Did you find yourself more having to tell them to pull back or to charge forward?
Go. More “go, go, go, go.” Just a few times, I had to say to pull back and rest and not go into the dirty wrestling of politics. Get ready for when our opening was there to squeeze in—to walk in, not squeeze even—an opening of energy to go, go, go.
Someone who knows you very well said, “People instantly trust Jóga. They would jump off cliffs for her.” But if this were so, I think you would jump first .
People trust me. I don’t have a bad direction for people. I have a good heart.
If people are jumping off cliffs for you, then I would think they are jumping into a sea of love .
Well, they’re jumping into something very interesting at least.
It might be a little choppy at times—
And fun, it’s got to be fun. And something they probably thought they needed to do for a long time. I’m not pushing people. I’m more following and supporting the directions they want to go.
And that’s certainly true of Jón and the campaign. You knew better probably than him that he needed to do this, that people needed for him to do this. I think one reason people may trust you so much is that you have this very powerful trust in instinct. You put it beautifully when you called it “loyalty to the force.”
Yes, that’s how I feel. You must have “loyalty to the force,” the energy.
I was interested to know that your father was a sailor, and you traveled with him a lot .
He was on container ships, sailing from Iceland through all Europe. I went with him on many, many trips, from the time I was about six years old. This had a lot to do with shaping who I am, learning probably more than I know from all of these sailors, and being sometimes the only girl on board—seven years old, eight years old—and being allowed to work with my dad for two weeks. I was always doing something—helping the guys out painting, or helping the cook, or doing dishes. To be part of the crew. I was very young, but I was part of the crew.
And
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