not whether those elements represent the story we
would like to tell the world in an appropriate way, but
whether we find those elements pretty enough or not.
Because all of us secretly wished to see whatever was
pictured on the logo or in the promo video magically
appear in reality and become true. And we can argue for
ages because we want to believe in this sugarcoated vision
of us, disregarding the fact that it is not the reality we live
in (or precisely because of that fact).
People want to be part of something bigger than them,
something significant and impressive. They want to be part
of a story, which develops and unfolds in much more
interesting and exciting ways than any other story - so
they can believe in it.
We need more than fancy words or visuals to tell this
story, though. We need substance – an aim, a vision, a
cause. These are all clichés, but without them we cannot
do anything but constantly tell each other stories of pure
fiction.
A vision (or any of the three words mentioned above)
means saying “no” to a lot of things in order to do only
those worth doing. It provides focus, making it clear what
we should and should not be doing. It gives us a clear
voice, a stand and a point of view to push through. It says,
“Here, this is what we do. It is our priority. We are ready to
invest resources, time and effort for it to happen because it is
important for us.”
Take a look around (if you are not in Bulgaria – glance at a
picture or recall a memory; if you have never been to
Bulgaria, I hope this is interesting for you even without
something to look at). Why do we need Bulgaria? Why is
this place important? What makes it significant and
irreplaceable?
The logical answer is that we need it - the Bulgarian
people. Because we were born here, because we have
inherited it from those that preceded us, because of
nationality or language, because of family and friends,
because of the secret hideaway beaches, the hidden
pathways in deep forests or the jagged mountain peaks.
Because of our past and present. Because of our future?
There is one particular phrase about the future which I
hear more and more often in one way or another:
6
/
Home
”I have the feeling that
nothing good awaits us.”
How did we end up looking away from our future
because we don`t see anything positive coming out of it?
Why are there only clouds of dust on the horizon visible
from this part of the Wild West?
How did we
end up here
Some old facts about us
When somebody starts talking about the future of
Bulgaria, the usual starting point is what Bulgaria has to be
and not what it has been so far and what it truly is.
I will start from where we are standing right now. Without
much effort, you can find all sorts of statistical data about
the not-so-pleasant situation we are in right now. Here are
a few statements from the last 2-3 years regarding the
labor market:
• Over 40% of the people of working age in Bulgaria are
not part of the workforce
• Over 100,000 people are not working because there is
no one to look after their children
• One in every five young Bulgarians is not involved in any
kind of education, employment or training
7
/
Home
In the last couple of years we often found ourselves last or
in one of the last places in a number of ratings and
studies, ranging from quality of life to innovation potential
and development. If we extend our view and take a step
back, however, we will see that this phenomenon is
actually not very recent and doesn`t show something
completely new or unseen of.
A quick glance at the past. If someone would ask us to
describe our historical development in one sentence it will
probably sound like this: a glorious past of conquest, the
creation of a new alphabet and a period of enlightenment,
five centuries of slavery followed by independence, two
World Wars, half a century of socialism, a quarter of a
century of democracy and a market economy with
questionable results, the 1994 football World Cup in the
United States, Dimitar Berbatov, an economic crisis,
(probably) Grigor Dimitrov.
The economist and historian Rumen Avramov provides a
different perspective, a much more interesting and
unfamiliar view even for us, Bulgarians – the development
of Bulgaria`s economy in the last hundred years. His
writings provide a valuable overview of the connection -
ever-existing, according to him - between the state and the
creation and distribution of private capital; of recurring
crises caused by external factors and outside influence,
not due to events and processes that took place here; of
constant suspicion towards private owners and
businessmen; of the expression of extreme “individualism”
not as a vehicle for entrepreneurship but as a reaction
against all forms of authority; of perfunctory
modernization that has never led to real changes in
society.
Bulgaria did not become the country with the lowest
income in Europe in the recent years. Bulgaria has been
the country with the lowest income in Europe for over a
century.
Are we interesting enough?
Even our past and present problems, no matter how
serious and deep they are, cannot rank us as a destination
number one. We have corruption and organized crime,
but they are not the worst in the world. We have a very
low birth rate, but not the lowest in the world. We have a
high number of smokers, but not the highest in the world.
8
/
Home