One Belarusian on Threads decided to ask his compatriots what exactly they love their country for. The answers in the comments formed a mosaic where everyday comfort coexists with high poetry, and pride in products — with the grandeur of history.
Fans. BelTA Photo
“What do you love Belarus for? Literally one sentence. Haters — move along,” asked Siarhei Tyshkavets, a former activist of the Mogilev branch of the organization "Active to be Fine" (liquidated by the authorities in 2021) and head of the Mogilev branch of the "Round Table of Democratic Forces" created by the KGB and led by Yuri Voskresensky, in his Threads post. He collected both expected and unexpected answers.
People wrote that they love Belarus for the feeling of peace and security, for the quality of goods, and also for the mentality of its residents:
“I can walk at night without fuss. Cleanliness, mutual respect.”
“Safety, cleanliness, mentality, coziness, quality goods, service, slowness in a good way (without fuss, chasing trends), forests, accessible healthcare, Neman glass products. I got carried away… I love my country.”
“Mentality, level of culture in society, accessibility of medicine, good, tasty, and quality products. Belarus is a country for life.”
“People. Sausages and dairy products. Oh, and confectionery / condensed milk.”
For another part of the commentators, love for the country cannot be measured by material goods. For them, it is something inherent, given by right of birth.
“Not for the sausage. Simply because it is my Homeland. My parents are buried here. My children were born here. I was happy here.”
People note that love for the Motherland is what we have: “By default. This is my Homeland,” someone writes.
“I was born, grew up, and live here.”
“For being mine and for being in it. It is my Homeland. That's enough.”
“I love it because I was born here, my parents, children, grandchildren, friends, colleagues live here. This is my Homeland, with its beauties and shortcomings.”
“Like a mother. Just like that. Unconditionally. But I value its nature, climate, culture, language, and people,” others explain.
For many, love for Belarus is not so much about landscapes as it is about the people themselves and what is within them:
“For the cleanliness in everything around: in relationships, feelings, nature,” someone writes.
Others add:
“For me, love for the Motherland is love for people first and foremost. I especially love the Belarusian village — the soul of the people lives there.”
“For the language, the people, and the endless thirst for freedom.”
As if in continuation, one user posted a photo of their tattoo with words from Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu's poem "Our Flag":
“Our endless dream of freedom
Leads us across land and water,
Like the sun that never sets,
Like a star that never falls.”
“History, language, depth,” “Language, people, nature,” — users continue to list.
For some, the explanation seems entirely utilitarian:
“For not banning Telegram, YouTube, Insta, Discord, and other vitally important applications,” “Our apps work without VPN.”
Some left very poetic confessions, both in love for the Motherland as a whole:
“I love you, my Belarus, for your blue lake eyes, for your land black as pitch, for the blue clouds from which our ancestors look down on us, for your cornflowers blue as tears of joy, for your green meadows and the morning dew beneath my feet, for your dense forests where various animals roam, for the fact that everyone has a place on this good earth with love in their heart. My beauty. My country.”
And to a specific locality:
“My Belarus. I love my city of Babruysk. I love Belarus for its calmness and depth. For its people with warm hearts and quiet strength. For the morning mists, pines, clean air, and the feeling of home. And Babruysk — that's a special love. My city with character, humor, and a true soul. Everything here is real: people, streets, memories. Wherever I may be — my heart is always in Babruysk.”
Foreigners who had experienced Belarusian hospitality also responded:
“I've been to Belarus twice and now my social circle is almost 80% them. So PEOPLE are the most important factor! Everyone is very cool, kind, and soulful. Food — dairy, sausages. Clothes — local brands greatly appeal to me, I want to order a couple of things. And it was very, very cool in Minsk and Brest.”
While confessing their love for Belarus, some also express criticism, emphasizing that the Homeland and the state system are different things:
“I love Belarus, but I don't love…”
“I love it for its rich history, from which today the authorities erase events and figures that are a great source of pride for our people. I love it for its multifaceted culture, part of which are also Jewish, Tatar, Polish, and even German elements, which today the authorities erase from our identity in favor of the 'Russian world'. I love it for its good, hardworking, and long-suffering people with an incredible thirst for freedom, whom external enemies tried to destroy for centuries, and today — their own authorities.”
And they quote classics whose words sound especially relevant today.
Uladzimir Karatkevich:
“You can do anything: let love go up in smoke,
Take and neglect the past path.
But never not love the Homeland
With a black blindfold on your ears,
With a black blindfold on your lips,
With a black blindfold on your eyes…”
“God lives in Belarus,” —
So says my simple people.
That truth is confirmed by the dew in the grass
And the eternal dance of stars.
That truth is confirmed by
The persistence of waves,
And the testament of ancestors,
And the golden steel of language,
And the universe of our thoughts.”
And also Maksim Bahdanovich:
“Belarus, your people will await
A golden, clear day.
Look how the east ignites,
How much fire in the fleeting clouds…”
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А еще раздражает выпендреж ( присущий, например, имперским народам типа россиян) и их понты, а отсутствие понтов нравится в соотечественниках