The country that once existed is dead..

A Reflection on Change, Hope, and Finding Joy in the Present

My heart is with you.

Dear lady, you are not alone in your feelings. I understand your sorrow, your longing for something that seems to have faded with time. I, too, feel it—I am 40 years old, and I hardly recognize the world around me anymore.

I remember my childhood, a time when people were different, when the world itself felt different. Maybe life was harder in some ways—less advanced, more demanding from a practical and technological standpoint. But even then, there was something precious—something we seem to have lost.

Back then, people stood together. The walls between us were thin, and there was joy in giving, in sharing, in believing. Hope lived in our hearts. We sang peace songs, and we truly believed in their words. Do you remember those days? When unity still meant something? When we could still dream of a better tomorrow?

But now? Who sings those songs anymore? Their melodies feel distant, their words almost naïve. Our country and its people have changed, and the dream we once clung to seems like a distant memory. Hope has been replaced by survival, and the walls between us are no longer metaphorical—they are real, thick, and impenetrable.

People have stopped believing—not just in peace, but in each other. Trust in the rule of law, in leadership, in anything beyond the self has eroded. It’s every person for themselves now. And so, the world feels different, colder, harsher.

But, dear lady, I urge you—don’t let yourself drown in this sorrow. The past is a beautiful memory, but it is not our present. Clinging to what was, to what we have lost, will only deepen the pain. Instead, I urge you to focus on the now, on the life you have in front of you. Find joy where you can, create happiness where it seems absent, and embrace the moments that make you smile.

Because you deserve it. You deserve to be happy, not because the world is perfect, but because your heart still beats, your spirit still longs for peace, and your life is still yours to live.

Be happy now, dear lady. Not in the past, not in the dream of what could have been—but in the beauty of what is.