Translation of mursya‘s post (RUS)

Kamila Zhusupova’s post about the dreams of Kazakhstan’s youth caused a storm in the comments section of her blog. Below are some of the more interesting responses:

Adil:

Everything written here concerns Kazakhstan’s youth as much as anyone else. The number of people who changed the world has always been small compared to the masses you describe.

Alikhan:

1% make life better. The other 99% use this and live on it. They don’t have the time to sit down and think about what they really want from life…

The important things for us are clubs, restaurants, going out, others’ opinions, standing out from the crowd, showing off… they are short-term solutions to a long-term problem we keep putting off solving.

Many people today don’t want to have families because they consider children to be a burden when there is entertainment, sex, gambling… and a steady job, whose salary motivates them.

People are busy with themselves. They are slaves to their own instincts and needs. The Earth’s population will shrink while globally important events go unnoticed. It’s a vicious cycle, and in order to get out, you simply have to stop doing what you do every day and think.

What would you want from life if you only had a year to live?

Going out is great, but it’s better when your activity serves some sort of purpose, and if it’s in demand, then the money is good, too!

Daniyar:

Dear Kamila, I would like to try to answer the question that, as you put it, had you stumped. It seems pretty simple to me: the driving force behind mobilizing society in Kyrgyzstan (including the youth) is the parallel work of at least two factors.

First of all, after living in near-poverty for so long, Kyrgyzstan’s people realized that they have much less than they ought to.

Second of all, people in Kyrgyzstan realize that they have practically nothing to lose. It follows from this that the intellectual part of society tries to change the present situation by actively participating in the country’s political life (lots of NGOs are being created, with membership consisting primarily of young people), while some of the marginal elements go out into the streets and wreak havoc.

In Kazakhstan, everything is a little different. People are living in just the kind of conditions in which they have something to lose (the so-called minimum level of comfort). Personally, I’m afraid to lose my job, my social status, and the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed.

Of course, I have certain goals (some of them are very ambitious), but they are fairly reachable given my current situation. Trying to change my political environment seems like a waste of time. It’s a little confusing, but I think my overall point is clear.

What do you think?

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