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Why We Don’t Trust Anymore: Lessons from the Balkans (62)

A personal story

The Balkans have been a place that has always fascinated me. Of course, partly due to my origin. The warm people and the amazing food culture certainly helps. But the main reason for the appeal is the rich tapestry of cultures. Balkaners have been under Roman and then Ottoman rule for most of their recorded history to varying extents and relatively recently have managed to create independent and self-governed states. This rebirth provides a neutral ground for a new society to emerge, and witnessing the emergence of new societies is definitely unique.

Given my fondness for the region and my personal connection to it, I have naturally felt a pull. To visit, to study history, to meet locals and make connections.

Through these interactions, I have observed how similar we all are. Everyone is very proud of their culture and their (not recent) history. We have similar concepts of time and we socialize through food. All of us face similar problems too that can mostly be describe as an unjust society and perceived corruption, but always with a cover of determination and party mentality to wash it all away.

A crisis of trust

Witnessing this shared culture and especially its ill effects to society, I feel compelled to ask: why? An easy answer comes straight from history: new societies need time to mature. But didn't south-east asia, eastern Europe and the Baltics faces similar conditions like colonization, lack of independence and immature institutions? And for every Greece and Serbia there is an Estonia and Singapore. Ouch!
 
Perhaps comparing to our counter examples will help answer ... and in that case, I find the most glaring difference to be lack of trust. Lack of trust that others will drive well, behave or act professionally. But more importantly, lack of trust to institutions. Nobody believes their government even tries to improve the country and the rule of law is just an excuse used when it's convenient and forgotten when it's not.

The moral of the story

Hopefully, the damage done by selective use of rules will act as a learning point. The same applies to all organizations. If a company or a team cannot be consistent with its own rules, only bad things will follow. Members will feel a lack of justice and will just stop thinking collectively and instead focus only on short-term individual gain.. Maintaining a consistent and fair set of rules is a must for any healthy organization.
 
Furthermore, we should not forget the struggle of all those people for a better future. While not in the Balkans, the recent anti-corruption rallies in Ukraine, despite the ongoing war are inspiring. The same applies to the student protests in Serbia, the resistance against the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul in Turkey and so many more movements. Let's strive to help and emulate these people, who believe in a just and rational world and have the courage to fight for it. 


Comments

  1. HipthiJuly 28, 2025 at 12:16 PM

    A really nice and unexpected ending..I hope everyone feels the same.. people is the greatest value we have to fight for...

    ReplyDelete

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