Hello, my friend. How is your young life? Still carrying on with the “struggle” against your parents? I think they call it the “conflict of fathers and children,” and everyone must go through it. The question is whether, after all these efforts, it is easier to listen to boring sermons and “child’s” question such as “why are you home so late?” or “why isn’t your room clean?”. This is humiliating! I agree that at the age of 16 you are an adult and you have the right to personal life and humane attitude toward yourself. Of course, you have my support, but… Sincerely, do you consider yourself an adult?

What is the meaning of an “independent person” today? It is a person who is able to independently earn his/her living, bear responsibility for himself/herself and his/her loved ones. And is there such a possibility among young people nowadays? Is it true that students who have completed the basic courses will get a job somewhere to earn some more money? In Belarus, employment agencies propose some jobs in agitation brigades, cleaning, weeding ridges near schools, etc. Can it be called a real job?

Periodically, poorly ant irregularly paid job, without personal responsibility and non-obligatory performance. There is a need for such a job, even hard and manual, but with real earnings. Or a job which will provide an opportunity to gain professional experience. Such a job is, unfortunately, not proposed nowadays.

And is there such a problem in Poland? Is it equally hard to find a job for young people in Poland and in Belarus?

Do you, being a skillful person, want to work this way? For me, it would be hard. Every day, coming home from classes at the university, I hardly manage to eat something and then I run, run to work. It is obvious that a job, no matter which, requires significant efforts and stress. After work, you also have to prepare for the classes the next day. There is almost no time for rest and sleep. You will not keep up with such a regime in the long run.

Let’s look from a different perspective: if the results of such a job can help to solve serious problems (choose the university, solve complicated family problems, etc.), it is probably reasonable to mobilize yourself! Or take up a job directly related to the profession of your choice. It is the acquaintance with the profession “inside out,” shaping relations in a team, practical presentation of your abilities – all things without which it seems impossible to successfully fulfill the plans in your life.

There are internal and external factors. The external one – so they say – was forced by life, the internal one – is the willingness to implement a particular goal, a particular plan. This means a certain level of maturity. Correctly assessing yourself, your abilities, being able to properly construct indirect goals, force yourself to work every day – this is typical of a truly adult person.

In today’s education system, emphasis is put on acquiring the largest possible amount of information. And is such an amount of information necessary for all? Is there no-one, among your friends, with a mastery in dance, music? Those people, until the 10th grade in school, have to hear that they are talentless and not skilled, unable to master basic subjects. Psychologists claim that the age of 13-17 years is the period of shaping the teenagers’ psyche. In such a situation, among such teenagers, self-esteem will be significantly lowered. Why “torture” them? Maybe that’s how luckless chaps are born?

A successful person is the one who can tackle any complexity and turn any unpleasant situation to his/her benefit. Such a person has a strong spirit. People are not born this way, they become like that. And everyone want to be like that, but not everyone succeeds. For various reasons. The fault cannot be always attributed to teachers, the state, parents. If, in our country, the parents create a guarantee for material security for 15 years, do we need this independence?

So think, dear friend, is it worth quarreling with your “folks” about such small things? Can they really give you this independence?! So be quiet, as long as everything’s “chocolate” – as they say here, in Belarus.


Nastassia Biarnatskaya

Translated by: Mateusz Pazdur