YOUPPI
BY PIXEL
PI SPECIAL Opinion
Invest (in) yourself
I passed the thirties, one would wonder why I am writing to the youth. The answer to me is simple; it was those years of my life that defined how and where I am now as a person. It was during that period when I commenced traveling, which eventually led to me living in nine different cities outside my Macedonia in the last ten years. It was exactly in spring ten years ago when I first moved outside the borders of my home country, and I did so completely on my own; to the other side of the Atlantic. Despite all the hardships and failures, living in a different country away from my family’s protection taught me so much. It shaped the man that I am now. Meeting people while you travel, or simply chit-chat with locals in the places that you spend time in, can offer you an unmatched education. Speaking another language, or coming into contact with another culture can alter the way you view things or the world. We live in a very privileged era, traveling can be simple and inexpensive, given the available opportunities. We also have the benefit of living in one of the most advanced and tolerant societies in the world. There is simply no excuse anymore for narrow-mindedness. Despite all its faults, the EU together with the partner countries, including Turkey, can offer each one of its young citizens opportunities that would simply not be possible in their own communities. And it is of utmost importance for the leaders of Europe and elsewhere to understand that limiting the progressive policies can only harm the future. All the policies are vital to form a mobile, multilingual, educated, and diverse future generation, which will benefit the country’s economy in the long term. For it is this kind of youth that will give an advantage to the society
when
comparing
its
competitiveness
with
other
countries or regions. The best investment that state leaders can make, is securing the future with a cosmopolitan, highly skilled, and educated working class.
If you leave better children to the world instead of leaving a better world to the children, the problem will be solved by itself. - Aziz Nesin 25
