It is my first summer in Bucharest so far without any trip to the sea or the mountains. The first thing that comes to mind is a summer trip to Split, Croatia, where it was very hot outside and there was a need to go a little way away from the sea to a local drugstore because of an unpleasant eye condition. The difference between the sea breeze and the burning city was huge. It was a completely different life. The hotel next to the sea was nice and the atmosphere was pleasant, but if you climbed the hill a little and saw the blocks, the flats, and the closed window curtains, you could smell and feel what it means not to be able to leave the city as a resident during the summer. The heat was excruciating, and those working or living in the city looked as if they were in real pain under those conditions. When I heard from the locals that, if you rent an apartment in the city for one year, there is a risk of being thrown out during the summer months because the rent goes up and there is no legal protection for the residents who rent it, I asked myself what had happened in this transition from communism to capitalism that had made people so divisive and angry. I guess the question is: how do you cope with a situation in which, after decades of isolation and nationalism in the eastern block, one is at the centre of attention all the time, being praised, loved, and cherished and having unlimited possibilities, only to find out that one owns something very valuable or that one’s connections inside the country can solve many persons’ troubles? Who do you trust? The national rich, who promise you an illusion of integration into the West if you follow their pattern of acquiring wealth, or your traditional approach stemming from communism, which says that the key word for survival is the concept of enough and that, even if you get more, upgrading yourself, as opposed to the others who save all their money, invest it in real estate, or give it to the church for protection, is a sin. It is a tough choice, because both worlds are collapsing, and one can be buried under that collapse. What is one to do in this case? Well, the first step is to look at both sides and compare appearances and freedoms. A good face shows inner balance, while a prematurely aged one is a sign of overly greedy anticipation of the future. We all struggle with challenges; the question is whom we love and admire enough to follow, even through their challenges. After good looks comes the question of freedom: can I make my own choices, or do I just skip eating and drink several bottles of alcohol every day to pretend that I am happy and successful? Lots of good-looking people eat nothing and drink a lot to cover what is, most of the time, the silencing of their inner balance. Each of us knows in his or her heart what we do not accept or agree with in our lives, and ignoring that for money is what I call accepting your inner destruction. If you are well educated, no money in the world will make you believe that physical violence is an answer to anything. You know that the sharpness of one’s mind is key to finding an answer in a given situation. Accepting it against your inner principles is an assumed choice and not the fault of the person who inflicted it on you. People assume responsibility for what they do. If one imitates someone else’s evil, it is his or her fault, not that of the person who did it in the first place. It is called one’s own choice or willingness to go down a path against one’s own convictions in life. When you choose to harm others, you assume everything that goes with it for yourself and your loved ones. It is our choice that makes us bad people, not the influence of others. Saying yes to harming others means not trusting your own mind to lead you to a peaceful solution in the matter. There is a risk, of course. The risk is one of loss: one can lose money, friendships, or even one’s life… Having money is not reprehensible, but the choices made in order to get it can be. Real personal growth comes hard, is not free, and, when society as a whole is in turmoil, it becomes very difficult to stay on your path, even if it is the right one.

So, for the first time, I have no prospect of a holiday. I am in the city with no options because, somehow, during communist times, large cities had a summer plan for those who could not leave the city during this season. That is no longer the case. For decades, Bucharest had a wave pool in the centre of the city, where even King Michael learned to swim and which was also used during communism. It has been abandoned, with no prospect of refurbishment. In these modern times, one can have a hotel with a pool behind it (like the one I am talking about above), and the hotel and the pool can belong to different owners. The hotel is refurbished, but not the pool. It is a completely anti-business approach. This pool is proof of the failure of capitalism in Romania, because such an important source of revenue is not used for profit.

When I was young, I learned to swim at the summer pool near my house in the Kiseleff area. The pool disappeared in a mysterious way, so currently, besides heavy drinking, there are no water-related, summer-specific choices. In Berlin, I was able to swim in the lake near the city. Well, there are lakes around Bucharest and there are lakes in Bucharest, but there are zero chances of a balanced approach to summer life. You could argue that I am probably a spoiled brat who currently has no money and no opportunities to leave the city. You would be partially right, because I used to pretend to be one, since I was surrounded by so many who were very loved at the time, and, if I had shown my real opinions, no one would have known how to behave in my presence. It is easier to be a spoiled brat or a false, hard-working public servant who pretends to be professional but, in reality, only chases the state’s money than to be an authentic thinker who wants to grow seriously. Please, don’t misunderstand me: I have nothing against spoiled brats, because it is the parents who educate them in this direction, but I disrespect false professionals in any field and I don’t accept being given lessons by individuals who make their money in low-, medium-, or even high-level positions and are not able to take any decision by using their own mind and knowledge. I reject fake leadership and knowledge sold as the ultimate expert level. I have a lot of respect for private pools, but the one I liked now has a new view, meaning an unlimited number of tall blocks being built in front of it. Well, at least the seagulls and the ducks in the park seem to be happy, because they have no restrictions regarding the kind of water above and below which they are able to swim. What we are missing in this country is Realpolitik. If we want to look into each other’s eyes, we need to see how Romanians looked during the monarchy, during communism, and in current times. Old films and theatre plays are a token of how the public lived, dressed, and behaved. Now we’re a lot richer than we have been for decades, but if you take a look at the audience in any circumstance, the feeling is that we are poorer than ever. Why is that?

A prosperous state does not allow better pay in state institutions than in the private sector. Economic growth comes from the private sector; the state is, economically, a cost. The state is not a merchant seeking profit, so giving more money where there can be no growth can lead to complete economic failure. The principle is to give more money where there is greater risk, not at the highest level of certainty. Great certainty alongside high wages can lead only to a high level of crime because, for an average person holding a high position in public administration, not losing that kind of money becomes a life goal. The state creates the conditions for development; it does not bring business into state slavery. The highest competition is in the private sector, not in the public one among public servants. The most striking part is the fact that there is a continuous fight for salaries. No one is interested in the place where he or she is working. If you get off the train and take a look at the Ministry of Transport nearby, you understand what I mean. I can’t understand the need for high wages if your working conditions are terrible. A good ministry is one that has proper working conditions for its employees and in which each minister uses and follows a specific strategy to establish or maintain those conditions at the proper level. A victory is worth nothing if you can’t invite your homologue to your workplace. There is no victory in filth. It requires an impeccable white shirt, preferably starched if its composition allows it, if you ask me, and long sleeves in any circumstance.

Sofia Fodor