The action of Veronika Decides to Die takes place in Slovenia, and as you write, nobody knows where Slovenia is. Could you specify, in what way the experience of people living in the East Europe, in post-communist, post-totalitarian, “unknown” world, was interesting to you.
It is very interesting to me to write about cultures and countries that resist the threat to be wiped out from the map, because that shows that there live people strong enough to resist. This is a characteristic of the soul, and people who are able to resist the death of their culture, are good example to all of us.
12 Responses to “Today’s Question by Aart Hilal”
Comment Page 1 of 11
Hello Everyone,
I have very similar situation and feeling with Agnieszka. She is origin Polish (I suppose after her name), I am origin Hungarian (just near Slovenia). She got experience from the old regime, I did too. She lives abroad right now as I do (in France).
The different point of view between Agneszka and me is the following :
In my ex country, in my life we did not have problem with food as it is a country with strong agriculture and the dictatorship was already weak. We, Hungarians were allowed to travel to west if we could get convertible currency. We did not know nor unemployement neighter homeless people ! The doctor was free and also the education ! We did not care about taxes, they were already taken from the salary, so we could calculate more with our net/net wages. We just could not vote and we were poorer as the world did not accept our money. But we were not happy, we had an illusion that the west is a Paradise.
Then we changed : now you can travel but you do not have money. Now you can speak even if you are fascist (it is so sad). Now you can go to university even if you are stupid but you can not pay. Now you are owner of your appartment but you will be kicked out if you do not pay the tax. Now you can vote but you do not go because you are disappointed in the lyer politics. Now not the dictator dominate you but the big compagnies and money…
I am very disappointed, my illusion has gone with the wind. I became a communist here in France (!), a communiste who believes in god, new age, inkarnation and karma.
One thing is positive in Hungary : after 50 years of pure materialism the spiritualism has grown quickly. Everyone is looking for something superior of the dry material. But we live in a dialectic world, were there is light, there is shadow also : hundreds of sharlatan (?), baseless religions, trends have developped, swindling and cheating people who need peace.
[Reply]
Agnieszka and Igor,
Thanks for your words.
We are a lot to think about that, and more.
Love.
Paulo, I think it’s a “characteristic of the soul.” This is exactly to “resist”. It’s evil in good.
[Reply]
When I was in Slovenia I noticed that every stranger is welcomed as a friend in their houses…as one family they share their culture with love.
How often
… do we forget the values of a family, a generation,
… do we live in the distance given by duality?
How do we survive in a world which we divide by superficiality?
When we see and feel the importance of oneness we are love, always, all ways
Love
Hildegarde
[Reply]
Dear Igor,
I hope, I wish, you are right.
My dreams are same as yours, and I know that the more of us like that, the easier to make a difference, a little change.
But how many of us are there?
People here on the blog, yes, Paulo, yes, believers, dreamers, our soulmates, yes, but…
Is it enough?
Maybe…
Step by step, minute by minute….:-)
love
Agnieszka
[Reply]
Agneszka,
For me, and here in France they consider, that the main communist party is not extreme. I would like you to know it, it is important. There are other communist parties but it is far from me, i do not want dictatorship.
I do not want falansters, i do not need kibuts. I would like only to equalise people a bit more. I do not think that there are people who get 140 000 euros/month and there are people who can not eat and drink normally every day !!! That is all, I do not think this is utopic. Even if it seems today impossible, i will try to get the situation better. One person, two and more…and the world will be saved. You are also here !!! :)
I believe that nothing is utopic, utopie does not exist, we are able to do whatever we want, it is just a question of wish :)
[Reply]
Oh..!
There’s one person who spreads the greatest values in life, and.. is not dead,:-)
that is …”our”…..Paulo Coelho!
Thank You Paulo!
love
Agnieszka
[Reply]
Dear Leaf,
Thank you for your kind words.
I agree with you; who can be so naïve to think that sending a son to a war, he’ll come back?
It’s just an absurd, some people choose to believe.
The only explanation for me may be, is that maybe there’s no other way for those young people to get money for a better education, for better life.
We never know how we would react if we wouldn’t have any decent means to live.
Somebody wise once said:
“we know ourselves that much as much we had been tested”.
Hard to tell, easy to judge.
But in spite of it, I think that nothing can justify being killed if you’re not forced to be a part of it.
It’s just…sad.
Yes, God bless them all.
lots of love
Agnieszka
[Reply]
Dear Igor,
I don’t think that going from one extreme (capitalism) to another (communism) is a good solution.
With the communism you might have an impression that it is the best, the most democratic system of all but it’s just an illusion. I lived through it, believe me.
I haven’t found the perfect ideology or system that can make people happy, all of it is just a big utopia, nothing else. Lots of promises, great advertisement, that’s all.
When it comes to performance, it becomes just a big joke.
Fairness, justice, does not exist in this world, and I am afraid it never will.
Those people who wanted to spread it, they are either dead, like Gandhi, Mother Theresa, John Paul II, or their appearance is false.
I know we, people always want to believe in something, but the believing should go, towards God, towards love.
We should spread love from one to another, starting in our own neighborhood, and be free of any strings attached. But that’s just my opinion, everybody is entitled to his/her own.
And Igor…for us the west was also the paradise, but it looks like a big hoax now, isn‘t it?
There’s no perfect place on Earth, just…love, hidden inside us.
Lots of love
Agnieszka
[Reply]
Agnieszka
Beautiful to hear some of your personal experiences….and a shame that yes, all over the world is pretty much the same story, lack of responsibility, no respect, plenty being never enough…it actually makes me sick, yet i’m supposed to not judge? - unbelievable in the UK that parents will sue the government and receive compensation for a son killed in Iraq etc…the grieving for the son maybe should have taken place on the day he joined the forces..did he not get paid ? did they think that war doesn’t really take lives still?? does the money replace the son? did his and others dying do anything to change the world? or is he better off now, not to be taking part in this …..mad….mystery? God Bless them all
LOVE
xxxx
[Reply]
Hello Everyone,
I have very similar situation and feeling with Agnieszka. She is origin Polish (I suppose after her name), I am origin Hungarian (just near Slovenia). She got experience from the old regime, I did too. She lives abroad right now as I do (in France).
The different point of view between Agneszka and me is the following :
In my ex country, in my life we did not have problem with food as it is a country with strong agriculture and the dictatorship was already weak. We, Hungarians were allowed to travel to west if we could get convertible currency. We did not know nor unemployement neighter homeless people ! The doctor was free and also the education ! We did not care about taxes, they were already taken from the salary, so we could calculate more with our net/net wages. We just could not vote and we were poorer as the world did not accept our money. But we were not happy, we had an illusion that the west is a Paradise.
Then we changed : now you can travel but you do not have money. Now you can speak even if you are fascist (it is so sad). Now you can go to university even if you are stupid but you can not pay. Now you are owner of your appartment but you will be kicked out if you do not pay the tax. Now you can vote but you do not go because you are disappointed in the lyer politics. Now not the dictator dominate you but the big compagnies and money…
I am very disappointed, my illusion has gone with the wind. I became a communist here in France (!), a communiste who believes in god, new age, inkarnation and karma.
One thing is positive in Hungary : after 50 years of pure materialism the spiritualism has grown quickly. Everyone is looking for something superior of the dry material. But we live in a dialectic world, were there is light, there is shadow also : hundreds of sharlatan (?), baseless religions, trends have developped, swindling and cheating people who need peace.
[Reply]
Me, living in Poland when I was little, I didn’t experience the actual war.
There were some threats, that Russia’s troops might invade our country, but happily it didn’t happen.
We, as a country, experienced many aspects of the communism, the regime, the cold war, no freedom of speech, etc..
There were times when there was nothing in stores, no food, just vinegar.:-)
Coupons for food, for everything, all of these seems like bad joke now.
Me, being a kid at this time, I actually didn’t experience the brutality of the military regime, but I know many people did.
For us kids, the only problem was this constant cravings for food. I remember being so happy when I could buy the..bananas.
Funny, now I don’t even like them that much.
I guess, that having everything is also not a good thing, we don’t appreciate it that much.
Believe it or not, me and my friends, were happy, we had so much fun going out after this “military or police hour” started at 10 o’clock,(my friend parents were at work at this time, night shift and I was sleeping in her home, so she wouldn’t be afraid).
We were pretending to be the guerillas. We could sneak up in the corridors of the old houses, hide, etc.. We seemed to not notice all this terrible things happening around us.
And.. people were fighting, for a freedom of speech, for a freedom of politics, even to be able to go to church. Maybe that’s why so many believed in God.
Now we have everything, I should say they have everything, because I don’t live there anymore.
Yes there’s everything, everything is changed, but I would not say for a better.
In some way, maybe, there’s no more cravings, at least not for food, there’s freedom in everything, there are luxurious cars, fantastic houses, beautiful clothes, everything, you name it, it’s there. Everything in my opinion is being copied from the country where I live now, US, also and foremost the bad; drugs, abusive behavior, no respect for teachers, parents, old people.
The problem is that contrary to US, there’s no effective police, no good law.
Also, there’s more and more very rich and very poor people.. very, very poor.
Yes, life has changed, but is it for a good?
I don’t think so.
People are more and more hungry for…money, carrier, expensive life.
More and more angry as well, because there’s always not enough, because the neighbor has more.
They forgot what was it they were fighting for before. They forgot how to love.
Well, maybe not all of them, but many.
I wander how those values had been lost?
What is happening to people everywhere?
When they would realize that this superficial life never brings happiness and peace?
love
Agnieszka
[Reply]
I suppose the one thing that rings throughout Veronica decides to die is that in every country in the world there is one thing that interlinks all communities, a mad house!
Another thing in the book was the boy Edward, he struck me as someone I almost know, yet he is somebody in the past and somebody in the future of life because he is a real character withing the archives now.
[Reply]