The last time I realized why many countries from Central-Eastern Europe (with former Soviet countries at the forefront) scares me. Keywords for today are „wealth inequality.”
I remember that I was in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in June 2013. It was six months before the „Euromaidan” had started. I remember that I was shocked because I had never seen such massive contrast between the poorest and wealthiest citizens. Undoubtedly, wealth inequality was much higher than Poland and the USA (which I visited in 2006). It was evident while I was strolling and driving by Kyiv by bus. While visiting along with my beloved Kamilka Riga, the capital of Latvia, and the most popular Latvian resort by the Baltic sea, named Jurmala, I had similar feelings and thoughts. The truth is that both in Kyiv and Riga devasted buildings from which poverty strikes our eyes are almost everywhere.
On the other hand, there are many buildings, stores, and interiors that we can call luxuries.
This wealth inequality that struck my eyes tremendously scares me about post-Soviet countries and cities. I remember that many rural views in the countries mentioned above and countries like Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, or Romania are places where many poor people live. Of course, I am aware that poverty is practically everywhere, in every corner of this world, including the USA and Western European countries. Still, the mixing of the scarcity and sorrow with post-Soviet and Russian architecture and seeing drunk people around is something that genuinely scares me. That’s why I do not drink alcohol. I believe that drinking too much alcohol only makes things worse in terms of poverty. Earning money for drunkards is a tough challenge.
Still, I have no doubts that drinking alcohol is only the tip of the iceberg while writing about poverty. The sad truth is that wealth inequality will remain with humanity until the final end of our civilization.
PS
I wrote this text on the 6th of July, 2021.
