Vyacheslav Bondarenko: Ask questions and hear answers

National Unity Day, September 17. Unity is not only about one day a year, it is tested by everyday life, by the ordinary affairs of ordinary people. Therefore, immediately after the holiday, I would like to comment on interesting statistics: the results of a large-scale sociological study conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in July-August 2026 on the topic “What achievements of modern Belarus are you proud of?”.

The question is really not idle, you can’t answer it with a knuckle. And I'm sure many of us would be very "slow down" if we were all of a sudden asked about it. Because in everyday life, you don’t usually think about such priorities — you just live by trying on basic guidelines in the spirit of “What is good and what is bad.” That's why these answers, given by 2,045 respondents, are so important. Different people in different parts of our country - in the north and south, west and east, in small villages and large cities. The questions concern everyone...

What achievements of modern Belarus are you proud of? And here by a huge margin - 85.2% of the respondents - wins "Peaceful Life". In fact, this answer consistently led in previous surveys that were conducted 5, 10, 15 years ago. But lately, its relevance is particularly evident. And while many Belarusians used to perceive the peaceful sky above their heads as a given that has always been, is and will be, the events of recent years have shown the obviousness of a simple statement: peace must be fought for, it must be defended, they must be cherished. In recent years, we have been well aware of this. I’ve written in this column before, but I repeat: it’s hard to even imagine how much it is – more than 80 years of the world in a row! Such Belarusian land did not know neither in the XIX century nor in the XX century. It is as if we had peace and quiet, say, from 1800 to 1880. Or from 1917 to 1997! No wonder the main saying of our grandmothers was “If only there was no war”. They knew what they were talking about.

The second and third places in the survey were taken by “Food quality” (62.5%) and “Cleanliness and improvement of settlements” (57.9). That's justifiable, too. Everyone is used to the fact that our products are great, and cities and towns look like they are filming in them. But how much do we think about how many people work to make it so? After all, someone controls the quality of products, sets high standards, competes in foreign markets with other manufacturers. And someone is engaged in the improvement of our habitat. The results of the survey show that Belarusians appreciate this work.

In fourth place – “Preservation of historical memory” (37.9%). And you can see why. Too many people are now busy destroying that very memory, reformatting it, or, more simply, blatant, well-paid lies. And the fact that in each of our towns and villages there is a well-honored monument to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, is a silent response to these attempts. As well as the day of September 17, which became a public holiday five years ago. We remember. We're proud.

The fifth place in the ranking was taken by Social Security of the Population (36%). You can, of course, pay attention to the fact that this is, let’s say, the “least” reason for pride. It turns out that Belarusians are proud of a peaceful life, and "social" - as if not very proud. But in fact, it is an indicator of the adequacy of our society. Because no normal person and even more so the team is not satisfied with everything, such permanent contentment is often a sign of a small mind. An intelligent person (and a smart society) does not hush up his shortcomings, but notices them in time, analyzes them, understands where exactly he is not very pulling, and makes efforts to improve the situation.

These are the normal priorities of a healthy person and a healthy society, I would say. Adequate perception of your country and yourself. But the adequacy of society does not fall from the sky. It is nurtured over the years and includes many components – from love for your story to a clear understanding of your future. And here the questions addressed to us ourselves, we must ask ourselves. And the main thing is to hear the answers.

Vyacheslav Bondarenko, writer, journalist and person who is fond of everything interesting