Letter from a happy Romanian

Universitatii Square, Bucharest, in the evening of November, the 16th

I don’t believe in politics. I do believe in leadership. I don’t believe in religion. I do believe in spirituality. I don’t believe in virtual borders and countries. I do believe in the universality of the human soul. I do believe that whatever my (as well any other human being’s) output is –  thoughts, words, deeds, it has an impact over the world.  Consequently,  Sunday evening I voted in 2014 Romanian presidential election. For the first time, in my life. I told you, I don’t believe in politics and I know close to nothing about it. I believe that, deep down their hearts, humans know the answers to all their questions. I believe they can take their lives in their own hands, instead of letting strangers telling them what to do and what to think or waiting for them to solve their problems.

I went to vote because I felt this time it would count,  it would make a difference. Because I realised that this nice, warm bubble I built for myself doesn’t flow by itself in the Universe. It bumps into other bubbles, into the human society, as it is now, and affects it. I voted by listening to the voice of my heart. I voted against valuable artists and teachers living in poverty. I voted against the total killing of the Romanian press. I voted against the perception that Romanians are a bunch of thieves, liars, rednecks and douchebags. I voted against low -quality, tabloid TV. I voted against the SME economic sector being annihilated. I voted against our forests and mountains being destroyed, against our game being killed.

And I was glad to know that my vote mattered. I was glad to see my fellow Romanians – brave and beautiful people, young and old, intellectuals, artists, antrepreneurs and white-collars, waking up from their sleep, from their indolence, coming together as one. I don’t know much about our new president, Mr. Klaus Iohannis. I saw him being terrible during his first public televised confrontation with his opponent and getting better during the second. I heard good things and bad things. I hope – as we all do, he will rise up to the occasion. Most of all, I hope he will inspire and lead this nation to rebuild Romania, such a beautiful and blessed country – please watch Beautiful Carpathia if you haven’t yet in the same way the Germans rebuilt their country after the second World War. Because Romania desperately needs reconstruction, first and foremost, a moral and spiritual one.

For now I chose to enjoy the happiness and excitement that are floating in the air, the toothy smiles, the bright eyes people are showing in the streets, despite the gloomy weather and the rain. I am happy that Romanians didn’t forget about their heart. It feels as if I got my people back.

Photo credit: Alex Gavan