Opinions & Interviews

Today they often say with regret or bitterness that young people have become more pragmatic, the President noted. “It seems to me that this is nothing more than a sign of the time. And I cannot say exactly whether it is good or bad. After all, pragmatism means not only greed and selfishness. It has other sides too: a sober outlook on life, freedom from illusions and responsibility for the present and future,” the President said.

According to the President, these traits have always been characteristic of western youth, who early in life start preparing to compete in a tough market. "But our young people who used to rely on parents, the state, and some on just sheer luck, were lacking these traits," said the Belarusian leader.

“Today, whether we like it or not, our country has an open economy and is part of the global market. Therefore the competition laws apply to us as well. It is not bad that some young people have adopted the new rules of the game. Another thing what conclusions have been made,” said the head of state.

Alexander Lukashenko stressed that not every young man learned a simple truth: the foundation of everything is hard work. "It is a very alarming situation. On the one hand, there is little interest among young people to complex scientific disciplines. On the other hand, physical work is not in demand either. Some do not want to work by head or hands. They want everything and at once,” the President noted.

However, Alexander Lukashenko expressed confidence that among the participants of the forum, there is not a single person with a "minus". "We have thousands, tens, hundreds of thousands of beautiful, honest, dedicated workers. They are the vast majority. But there are also many slackers and drunkards. You can disagree with me and argue, but there are objective facts. Our labor productivity has been chronically behind not only European countries and the United States, but also many Asian countries," said the head of state.

“Of course, this is not just about young people. But today young people do not preach hard work but some other things – easy gains, luck. Even those who are willing to work perceive the work not as a pleasure, not as an opportunity of self-realization, but as a hard, forced necessity. Therefore the student summer work brigade movement, your romanticized attitude to work is very important to the youth of today,” said the Belarusian leader.

Alexander Lukashenko stressed that the student summer work brigades movement must serve good beacons and guidelines for all young people. "Thanks to you we will teach the young people who are not accustomed to work how to work. Consumption is becoming the purpose and meaning of life. Work, professionalism and creativity are pushed to the backyards of consciousness. This is why the student summer work brigades movement, your employment initiatives are important for today's youth,” the President said.

The President noted that the attitude to work in the countries that have reached great heights in the economy is different. “Small, medium and big business in the West, East Asia is the brainchild of the people obsessed with not only and not so much the idea of enrichment. More often they are driven by a desire to prove that they are the best at what they do. It is these hard-working people and professionals, not speculators and swindlers, who have contributed to the achievements in the so-called developed countries.

“In Soviet times, they tried to keep the prestige of labor high. Unfortunately, the Soviet reality often generated laziness and idleness and undermined this ideology. But today it should become the basis of the ideology of the new generation. Otherwise we just have no future,” said the President.