Even though I was born in a communist country, as a child I never sensed that anything was wrong with the world in which I lived. All kids are happy, regardless of the economic and political system of their country. Only later did I begin to ask others and myself questions like, "Why do our teachers tell us that communism is the bright future of humankind, but everyone wants to go West instead of East?""
It was very difficult to live in a society where everyone feared that anyone could learn the naked truth, and not the cosmeticized truth we were fed by our teachers. Our parents were afraid to share their thoughts with us, because, like children everywhere, we communicated what we heard at home. Our innocent chatter could threaten our family’s safety if we repeated what we heard in the privacy of our own homes. Careless people and neighbors who did this could disappear overnight. We knew what would happen to them: parents would be sent to jail or work camps, their children would be sent to the orphanage. Anytime this happened it was a reminder of how we needed to keep quiet and stay in line.
When the communist regime fell I was a young man full of dreams and I was able to play an active role in the movement. I have never been so happy in my life. Unfortunately fifty years of communism left deep scars, and most people over the age of thirty were not able to readjust to a new life without communism. After so many years of being told what to do and what to think, some people’s brains weren't able to make decisions anymore. And, to make things even more difficult, the corrupt government wasn't able to move forward in a positive direction.
Slowly but surely, happiness turned into deep disappointment followed just as surely by apathy. Angry people began to romanticize the years of communism when everyone had a job and a roof over their head. The people who weren't able to adjust, learn more, and change jobs - they were the angriest ones - and the homeless more often than not were older teachers, engineers, and those who are referred to as "the middle class" in a typical democratic society.
I was able to adapt, learn new things, and I struggled to make it. But being honest didn't help much in a country where the entire political and economic landscape had changed. Corruption and dishonesty are powerful tools in a post-communist society. Because of this I chose to leave my homeland and to immigrate. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. My first Christmas far away from home was very lonely. I didn’t have any money or food, and to make it even worse, on Christmas day I drilled a hole in my thumb while trying to fix something.
I am happy now and consider myself very fortunate to be living in a normal country where hard work is rewarded, and I can see my dreams coming true. It was not easy to break the language barrier and to acclimate to a new and very foreign environment. Since it is such a difficult journey, I don't advise anyone to immigrate, but this was my path. You may have your own path and hopefully it will be easier than mine.
Having had the experience of coming from a communist country, I feel that I need to share this, to make people aware of the dangers of communism. My name is not important, nor where I am, or where I come from. I will sign all my postings and emails with “Anticommunist”. If you have something important to say, you are free to post your own thoughts into the “Your Page.” If you have a private message/question, please use the contact form.