Anger on nationalism

I just have to write it.

Someone told: "Don't think too much. Then life will seem easier". Indeed, sometimes you just start to think over something and realize how much s**t is there and then you regret that you started to touch this s**t in your thoughts, becuase it stinks...

I watch TV extremely rarely. It usually happens in few cases: 1) I watch the news; 2) I watch interesting documentary; 3) I watch movie I wanted to see for some time already; 4) I am so tired that my brain does not want to bother itself with something more demanding than switching the channels.

Few days ago mixture of 2) and 4) happened. I was watching one historic documentary about the tensions between Hinduists and Muslims in India. There were for example such facts brought our that during the separation of India and Pakistan from British empire in late-1940s over 1 million (!) people have been slaughtered in inter-ethic tensions. Ghandi was killed, because he believed that richness of India lies in its multiculturality, not superiority of Hinduism.

In 2002 (4 years ago that means!) thousands of extremist Hinduists destroyed the mosque built in 17th century, because they claimed that this is holy place for Hinduists. In turn, Muslims made an explosion in the train full of Hinduists and killed few hundreds people. In turn, Hinduists slaughtered few thousands Muslims in their houses... Whose turn next?

After this documentary has ended, I started to watch news on BBC. A bomb explotion in Baghdad. 60-70 Shi'a Muslims killed next to their mosque. Extremist Sunni Muslims were accused. Experts are afraid of Iraq stepping deeper and deeper into the ground of civil war.
When I was working in Berlin, I visited remains of Berlin wall. It is full of graffity of different painters from beginning of 1990s. One painting was especially memorable - people are destroying the wall brick-by-brick and there is a big slogan: "There won't be any walls anymore!".

Another news after Baghdad - report on building the beton wall which would physically separate Israelis and Palestinians. Jews don't want to let Muslims to explode bombs against them.

Very memorable has been visit to Bosnia few months ago - I got to know a lot about how Bosnian Serbs (Orthodox), Croats (Catholic) and Bosniaks (Muslims) slaughtered each other and destroyed their own country.

F**k nationalism! F**k the ones who use religion AGAINST someone else!
Having been brought up in multicultural environment - mixed origin of Russian and Setu (small nationality similar to Estonians), two languages to be used etc - I learned a lot about nationalism in my own country.

One Estonian Russian guy told me couple of years ago - "Estonians are just a small angry nation which cannot even be compared with great culture of Russians". F**k your chauvinism!

There are plenty of Estonians that I know who say something like - "I know few cool Russians, I had realations with Russian girl, I have good Russian neighbour. But all in all, I don't like this nation".

"I eat apples time-to-time. I like to eat oranges when I am ill. But all in all I don't like fruits." Similar? That's what I am saying - f**k narrow-mindedness!

Go to hell with your comments like "I am patriot of my country. I am proud of my nation." Have you ever tried to live and work in other country like local people do without judging them and comparing them to your environment? Have you ever called someone "friend" who does not share your native language? Have you ever loved someone who has not seen the same cartoons as you in the childhood? If not, f**k your damn patriotism and please don't tell me that you have right to call yourself like that!

Sometimes I just have to agree with John Lennon who dreamt: "Imagine there's no countries. And no religion too."

Anyway, I will continue to believe that love and mercy don't have borders. And I will continue to live according to these principles - to have business with, to be friend with, to love people notwithstanding the fact whether they are Jews, Arabs, Hinduists, white, black, pink, gays, small brothers of Mother Teresa or grandchildren of Jossif Stalin.

What to do if you suddenly have plenty of free time?

I found another job for me. The one I really like and enjoy. I am working for European Youth (Euroopa Noored) which is European Union initiative to support young people in their desire to discover another cultures of Europe, to initiate and participate in youth-driven projects, to start and lead themselves international co-operation. I am working as a trainer/facilitator there.

Why do I enjoy the work? There are nice colleagues, international field of work, network with other active young people throughout Estonia and elsewehre, work with youth, organizing events and moderating them - all these keywords are important for me. But more than anything else - very simple - I believe in this mission. Developing European youth through supporting their own proactivity and through providing means for that.

A lot of similarities with AIESEC. In fact, I would have never applied for this job and I would have never been accepted there (there was quite tough competition, as I was told), if I would not have experience in AIESEC. And if to speak about the mission of European Youth - it reminds me once more WHY do I actually work for AIESEC.

Anyway, this work is part-time. My main responsibilties in AIESEC have not started yet (although I have quite many duties already). I don't study. I don't have one dear person to spend time with. That means that I have plenty of free time. OK, plenty in my case shouldn't mean plenty for the others. I am just used to be busy as much as possible :)

But it has its bright sides. It really does. Finally, I re-started my humble sport activities. But even better- finally, I have had time to read books. My first book about leadership, fiction about international relations and politics, fiction about Second World War, Henocide and half of the century after that in Ukraine, book about Estonia society development in post-Communist time. Hard topics, right? :) I just decided that if I don't have so much time to read books in general, I will spend this time very carefully and try to get as much value as I can.

In the second half of April I will go for about 1,5-2 weeks to the country I really like - Lithuania. I will participate in organizing of one big international AIESEC conference (ITC). Its project manager is friend of mine, and I could not leave misused the chance to work with him again on such event.

So, again some interesting events... And one more thing - I am still not-married, so all offers could be considered. ;)