For several days now, the 4th of May column allows us to stop and think about what Latvia is, independence, freedom, what are the values, what is respect and responsibility.
This column, thanks to the addressed characters, has made me think about Latvia and its future, about the people who make it up, I am grateful for that and I hope that the readers appreciate it and draw parallels with their own lives.
Liene Uresin’s life mission is to improve the lives of 1,000,000 people. Every day she shares her experience to talk about various topics, such as the code of success, ways to ground yourself, ways to let money guide you. She boldly goes towards her goal. A lot has been heard about Lieni. And all this is just the beginning, as her personality shows.
Liene, what does independence mean to you? The fact that we are free today.
Photo from personal album
For me, independence and freedom are the main core value. As soon as we do not feel free, for example, we are in a relationship, but we are not happy because we do not do what we want, we put ourselves in the background, we make sacrifices, we continue to live in our fears and limiting ideas. This is not freedom.
We feel pressured. And it is exactly the same with friends and people.
Freedom is within the limits of the mind. We can create our own captivity or prison in our mind. A prison of the mind is regular self-doubt, not realizing yourself, not loving yourself, regular fear and anger.
Today, you can live in a free country with all the fantastic opportunities, but if you do not work with your mind, but live within some limitations, and those imposed by yourself, it is not freedom.
That’s why I started my personal development path, because I had put myself in prison.
Photo from personal album
And then it became difficult for me to live.. Until I started looking for how I can get out of everything that exists. There is nothing bad, good, right, wrong in life, but your projection of what is happening. If you just walk around condemning everything all the time, then the consequences will be bad.
Only love can save the world. Love for yourself, for your loved ones, for absolutely everything.
These topics are important to think about.
Example of Ukraine. I’m against war, I’m against violence, I’m categorically against harming innocent people, but I also understand that talking about it everyday, for hours, focusing only on the negative, that’s where your energy goes.
I believe in energy. If we increase only the bad, focus on the negative in the world, to get angry and blame things that, unfortunately, you cannot change, you will not make the world better. The question is: “How can I make this world the best? What can I do?” Despite what is happening around.
Gandhi has said: “Be the change you wish to see in the world. If you want to see the world, change.” Start with yourself. The question is: what are you mirroring?
When you leave your home, when you enter any room, company, even your family, how do you reflect yourself?
Photo from personal album
Are you a person who has a “+” sign and you give, inspire, share your love and kindness, or are you someone who has a “-” sign. I think that everyone can answer this question.
In the distant past, he chose to leave Latvia, but returned home. Who called you back?
That was a long time ago. I don’t know what brought me back because all I knew at the time was that I was sick where I was. It was a prison I had put on myself. I cry every day, I go through it. If, for example, I went to Egypt and I was there with the mind of the moment, then I would go there, do, enjoy and enjoy my life, regardless of what is happening around.
What called me back was that I didn’t know where else I could be. If you can do what you want to do at home, then you can do it in the world.
I guess my loved ones – mom, dad, my environment, friends – have already referred me to Latvia.
Being at home, in Latvia, do you feel like you want to go out into the world?
I can honestly say, I am drawn back, but not to Egypt. I want to be where everything happens, where I can share on a larger scale, where I can help people.
However, as my husband and I have already discussed, if we were to leave, Latvia will always be our home. And this is what my husband, who is Turkish, says.
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Latvia will always be in our hearts, it is our home, regardless of what we will do and where we will be. We also travel a lot, and when we enter Riga, drive over the Vanšu Bridge, we always say to each other: “How good it is to be home!”
What traditions does your husband like in Latvia?
My husband’s experience is a radically different culture. There is no Christmas or Easter in Turkey, but my husband is Latvian, he has a Latvian passport, he has Latvian citizenship. And when he goes to some state institutions, he speaks Latvian.
He also says: “I live in Latvia and my task is to speak Latvian.” He treats the Latvian language with respect.
Speaking of holidays, we celebrate all holidays. We don’t even have a discussion in our family – to celebrate, not to celebrate. For example, on Easter we were at the Open Air Museum, where my husband boiled eggs in a pot and we watched the children participate in egg fights. He is not categorical, he celebrates with the greatest joy – both Christmas and other traditions.
We also celebrate St. John’s Day. We like to celebrate with friends in good company. No alcohol, because we don’t use it, but a bonfire, wreaths, songs, dances, it’s all there.
I highly value my husband’s respect for Latvians, for the country. He appreciates Latvia. I have never heard anything bad from him about this country, he will go, do and speak Latvian without choosing English.
Until now, it has been that we travel on May 4 because it is a long holiday. We were in Portugal a year ago. Of course, we celebrate May 4th as a family, but I would be lying if I said that we do everything according to tradition, no, we don’t.
If you were a history teacher, what would you teach young people about Latvia?
Rather, not what to teach about Latvia, but how to teach. For example, I have a trauma from my childhood because the way I was taught history was in a totalitarian way. I remember that no matter how hard I tried, I struggled with history because of the way history was taught. It was Soviet times.
Definitely would teach respect and responsibility. It is not so important what the facts are that happened in the past, but what we ourselves can do today. And awareness of these values begins at school.
Photo from personal album
For example, if you look at the Turks, they have such patriotism towards their country. They rise and fall for the Turkish passport. I see how my husband, when he takes the Turkish passport, emphasizes that it is his passport. It has been instilled in him since he was a child that this is the most important thing you have.
I don’t know how it is now, but my husband told me that when he started going to school, they had a joint assembly where they were taught: “I love my country!”, “I fight for my country!”, “I respect my country!”, “I stand for my country!”
This love for the country is instilled in children already in childhood. And you can see that they all live with a different level of self-confidence. Besides, nobody talks bad about Turkey. Never in my life have I heard that someone said something bad about their country, but unfortunately people go and say about Latvia: “What a government! What circumstances!”
We can mention some facts, but Latvia is not just a territory for me. Latvia is not just politics. Latvia is not an economy.
For me, Latvia is – me today. Who I am, as a person who represents Latvia.
There is a saying that one drop can make one big wave. And each of us is a representative of our country. We have to work on ourselves.
Why did I struggle so much when I entered the Latvian market and started working, because I started during covid and I saw that people were scared. I took responsibility for what was happening.
I remember that at that time, when everyone turned on and there was fear, what was going on, my husband said: “Liene, you go and share with the world, but you are not helping your country!” And it was at that moment that it clicked, that’s why I started sharing my knowledge and experience Instagram.
I started to tell how the mind works and what can be done. We cannot always predict what will happen, but we can influence how we act in that particular situation, what we do, what strength we use, with what love and respect we walk through life. This is what would be taught to young people as well.
And when you have learned patriotism for your country, respect and love, then he wants to look for what was there.
Photo from personal album
As a child, I was not interested in history, but as time went by, I myself became interested in the wartime and the suffering of the Jews. Now I go and look, I want to find out myself.
Now I am making a family tree because I want to understand my ancestors.
But I hadn’t even thought about it before. Now that I am aware of my ancestors’ contribution to life, I am looking for what was behind me. I ask my mom: “What did my grandfather do, what did my great-grandfather do!” I am very interested because I respect my family.
What do you wish for Latvians on May 4?
To realize how much our country will be depends on each of us. Start not with the fact that you look down on the other and belittle, but change the focus on yourself – how can I be the best version of myself, how can I enter a room with a “+” sign. Start with yourself! This is my wish.
To take responsibility for what is happening in our country.
Of course, you won’t change politicians, but how we can shine and do good, regardless of what is happening on the political scale, instead of someone saying: “There is no point, we must leave!”
I am not saying that I will live in Latvia all my life, under no circumstances, but what I know is that if I carry Latvia’s name in the world, I will carry it with honor. I will carry it with respect.
I know that showing myself from the best side, with my inner intelligence and taking responsibility, will be the way I can bring my country’s name to the world. And then people will want to know where Latvia is. It has already happened to many.
Read the conversation with singer Dion Liepin here.
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