Yesterday, my country turned twenty years old. Whether it will remain autonomous and united for long, whether its borders will shift once again - time tends to encourage them to do so - I can only venture to guess. However, this young, volatile nation has immeasurable pride and a strong sense of self. I believe in it.
I keep my origins with me: childhood impressions of the culture, my extensive quantitative research for a course paper, the deep roots I have in the soil back home, the distance from this soil that allows memories to age and mature. My country and I, we are age-mates; growing up with it is almost like growing up with a twin sister. Our personalities, too, are similar enough to warrant this. And when it turned twenty I realized how many lessons it can pass on to me.
1. Keep your spirit fiercely independent; question status quo.
2. Do not resign to being second-best. Refuse to be bullied into this position.
3. Know your value: current and potential.
4. Contain your dichotomy of personalities, keep them sewn together. The stitching becomes more durable with time.
5. Believe in art, poetry, history, and religion. Teach these things to children.
6. Be the breadbasket - be generous, hospitable, and kind.
7. Learn how to sustain unrelenting optimism against all odds.
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