Patriotic work was a central concept in the economy of all communist societies. Everybody, either child or adult, must participate at this hallucinating activity called patriotic work.
I was fourteen years old in December 1989 when the anti communist revolution started. I did a lot of patriotic work during the communist period.
I started by sweeping the school yard. The newest pioneers of Romania were called to show their love for the country and their devotion. And that could be better accomplished, of course, by working for our beloved communist society and party. And for our beloved leader. Very often on Sunday children went to school to clean its yard and the surroundings. Sunday was the only day off school, and we were called to work!
Later, when I went to high school I did even more patriotic work. I went to a theoretical high school, but we did a lot of practice. And this practice was another kind of patriotic work of course. They took us on the street to whitewash the borders of the roads. I still remember, it was a hot summer, I was tired and thirsty and we still had a lot to work. I had the feeling the road will never finish!
I was felling that this didn’t make any sense. I remember our teachers supervising and giving us instructions on how to make the things right. I was only a child, but they were adults. I was thinking then and I am thinking even now at this. They probably understood better than us what’s happening but that was the society we lived. Their authoritative behavior was imposed by the lifestyle in the communist society.
It is sad, but I think the indoctrination was quite effective. I know it is hard to keep your mind clear living in a sick society. The individuals will always borrow from the society they live in. To keep the freedom of your mind in such evil societies it is hard, but I think it is not impossible.
Everything was about authority back than. The teacher was a guy with authority who could and who actually did it many times, punish his students for their mistakes. I wanted to learn and I was a good pupil, but all these years my main concern was to not be punished for mistakes I could do.
20 years later we still need to learn how to live in a free society. We still need to learn that a healthy society is one that promotes the individuals and not the coercion to make people being a part of the community.
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