Book for new people

The book Do Efektyvnykh Suspilstv. Dorohovkazy v Maibutnie (The Road Map to the Future – to the Most Efficient Society), published in 1979 roused the world. It was published in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Polish. The world wanted to know how to build a new type of society, taking into account new challenges of that time, and the author – a prominent economist of Ukrainian origin Bohdan Hawrylyshyn suggested this recipe for the world. In Soviet Union the book The Road Map to the Future was called The Road Map to the Past, thus, the book was published in author’s native Ukrainian language only in 1990. Since that time there have been three editions in Ukraine, where, in fact, at first nothing was said about Ukraine – it was about the way to build a new Ukrainian society. However, in the third edition, published in 2009, Hawrylyshyn added a chapter – special addition to the third Ukrainian edition has a part called “Ukraine: 20 past and 20 future years.”

Hawrylyshyn presented his second fundamental work at his 85th anniversary celebration. The book I Remain Ukrainian is the author’s memories about his own life from a Ukrainian countryside boy from a poor family to a world-famous influential public figure, who had a word to say when key decisions of the world history were made. The author stresses that this book is for “new people” in Ukraine capable of thinking in a new way. It was written in the critical moment of Hawrylyshyn’s life during a serious illness and, according to the author, he made it optimistic out of sense of duty. The book tells that it is possible to achieve real success only without loosing one’s own identity.

The time difference between The Road Map to the Future and I Remain Ukrainian is 32 years. What has changed in the worldview of the author? What is the main (except for the genre, of course) difference between these two books? The Day asked Bohdan HAWRYLYSHYN these questions:

“If to speak about what has changed, it is my views on the state of the world. Capitalism has lived its time. Distorted capitalism is where dozens of multibillionaires and hundreds of millions of poor. It is a system in which a person has no value. People are only resource, when it becomes unnecessary it is thrown in the garbage. Democrats as such (not only in Ukraine) are in serious crisis. Why? Too much money is now required in politics. Let us take the example of the elections in the US (might be the best model for some, but not for me). Each candidate has to spend a billion dollars on his or her election campaign. We know what money can do in our politics, what resources are spent. It is as if a democracy, through which, by the way, the current regime has come. Democracy is locked in its own election cycle. It is not capable of making decisions for a longer term. It may sound ironic, but it is so: it is easier to have a long-term strategy in dictatorships such as in China.

“And what has not changed for sure is that I continue to believe in people’s kindness, even though disappointments happen. I haven’t changed my opinion on what Ukraine and Ukrainian people are.”

COMMENTARIES

Liubomyr (HUSAR), bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Cardinal of the Catholic Church:

“I first met Bohdan in Rome, it was in the 1970s. Before that I had the opportunity to learn a lot about him from our common friend Father Ivan Hryniokh, he told a lot about Hawrylyshyn’s life, about his youth, about how he moved from Germany to Canada to be lumber man there. One day Hawrylyshyn and his wife came to Rome to visit the Blessed Patriarch Josyf Slipyj. When we met, I looked at Hawrylyshyn and understood why there were left so many trees uncut in Canada. His calling was not to uproot the Canadian forests. His calling was in something different. I belong to the third wave of Ukrainian immigration, who after the World War II had met in different countries of American continent, those who could, remained in Western Europe. That was a special time. The third wave was different from today’s, so-called, fourth wave of immigrants. We experienced difficulties and temptations. One of such temptations was to stop being a Ukrainian. Some people thought that if they pretended to be Canadian, Brazilian, or American they would have a better career chances. Others were simply ashamed to acknowledge that they were Ukrainians. Unfortunately, there was a certain number of people in both categories. Hawrylyshyn has always and everywhere remained and will remain Ukrainian, despite all the different temptations, which could mislead a person. I think, we should be extremely grateful to him for this.”

Ivan DZIUBA, academician, literary critic, dissident:

“In any situation there will be people, who within themselves have the idea of resisting the degrading influences in the society. There are such people in the present time as well. The more difficult the circumstances are, the more resistant they are. Here is a simple thing: the greatest number of outstanding people, like Ivan Svitlychny, Oleksii Tykhy, Vasyl Stus, and Mykola Rudenko, came from the most russified Donbas. The darkness that now puts pressure on Ukraine will cause more resistance. In literature and in art there are people today, who, maybe, in a different way, but are still striving for something higher. We often don’t see and don’t appreciate those people because they are overshadowed by the background of masses. Things that Hawrylyshyn does for young people, especially his book of memories, can become a way for making quality choice. It is only necessary for as many people as possible to read this book.”

Larysa IVSHYNA, The Day’s chief editor:

“Seven lessons from Hawrylyshyn, which I had the honor to write about in the afterword to the book, are very practical. There are many valuable things we all should consider in Hawrylyshyn’s life rules and observations. In his story I can see the special Ukraine. My family belongs to this special Ukraine too. My family and my dear mother didn’t have great possibilities, but in our house there also were books from the higher shelf, like it was in life of Hawrylyshyn. Those books were Kobzar and the Bible. This is the case, when one can use the minimum to take the most out of it for formation of ideas, the proportions of the world – all that what Hawrylyshyn has later used so skillfully.”

Dmytro PAVLYCHKO, poet, translator:

“On August 24, 1991, when we were writing the Declaration of Independence, Hawrylyshyn was running around the table all the time without sitting down for a moment. When there began a discussion about what name we should give our country, I suggested to call it one word – Ukraine. My colleagues at the table protested: ‘No way! It has to be a Democratic Republic.’ Hawrylyshyn then said: ‘Gentlemen, there are many democratic republics in the world, but Ukraine will be only one. It should be called one-word name.’ I am thankful to him that he supported my position then. It was really a historic moment. We are united not by the fact that we are democrats or monarchists, rich or poor, but by the fact that we are Ukrainians.”