Thoughts of the week – NASA conquers Titan, in our country there is no one to cut the grass

I read on web portals that NASA will send a drone to explore the atmosphere and surface of Titan – the moon of planet Saturn. They will explore whether there is life on it.

That’s the world in 2019. While in Macedonia in 2019 the whole size of highway and other roads can not be seen and used when driving with vehicles. What do I want to say?

I had the opportunity to travel last weekend from Skopje through Debar for Ohrid, and to return back through Kicevo.  In places, or more precisely from the crossroad for Kicevo and Debar towards Ohrid, the vegetation along the road was not only high, but was already on the road. So, not only was the visibility reduced, but the road was narrowed too. With all that vegetation beside the roads the safety of road users is questioned. I believe that this is not the case only with these road sections.

I know that part of the fees that are paid upon the registering the vehicles go to the account of the company that is in charge of maintenance of the roads in Macedonia. I honestly did not see workers working alongside the road all the way. For the holes along the road, I do not want to think, but when I’m driving I just try not to damage any part of the car.

It is said that from the entrance to a country, whether through air ports or otherwise, everything that is seen is talking about the people and the way they live there. Not only the buildings, but also the roads and communication, or in general the road infrastructure, are the reflection of the country. In other words, the attitude toward them, as one state cares and maintains its own roads, is also an indicator of the development of the society. I do not even want to think about the opinion for Macedonia will have an foreigner whose traveling from Skopje to Ohrid when he sees the situation of the roads.

I do not know if the responsible persons will be dismissed or punished for these flaws, but if the problem is not solved, that is, everything stays the same, then all passengers please be careful about it! Please let’s clear the roads! After all, I’m a regular tax payer, I pay the tolls, but I do not get what I need in return.

I think that personal responsibility and self-criticism in Macedonia are already completely dead or almost absent. Sirs, do not become manager just to fill the CV, but to finish and improve things. No, I have no solution how to sort things out and how to grab (cut) the grass along the road, but I know there are no clean side roads, that the road is narrowed, and there is no good visibility in some places and I feel insecure when I’m on the road.

Hey guys, the world will explore Titan, and we can not sort and maintain out the roads.

It is said what kind of head that kind of cap, and I will say what kind of people that kind of state. We live in a time of quick information and many false news. Going abroad is number one topic. It hurts the fact that, for example in Germany or wherever we go, we immediately respect the regulations and laws more than the Germans themselves. At home why not?

Some time ago the foreign diplomatic core in Skopje gave us a lesson how to clean the landfill. All those “big faces” that are filling our news papers rolled up their sleeves and cleaned. The other day there were artists who take similar kind of action. All this is for respect, and at the same time it is a shame and a grieving for us others. We can not wait for someone else to save us all the time or to clean in our own yard or neighborhood. What kind of rubbish dumps I saw along the Vardar just outside of Skopje, you’ll be disgusted.

To continue, its weekend and I’m walking from village Gorno Nerezi along the road to Sredno Vodno. Who has been there knows that besides the road there are more summer houses. But it is regrettable that almost on each of them had a lot of waste. Positive is the fact that there were people (employees, I think, from city parks and greenery) that collected the junk, but the cleanliness can not be maintained if we do not change our mentality. Well, what kind of people we are? All those rubbish were before packed or boxes with food and brought as a products in bags up there, so let’s in those same bags collect the litter and return it, that is, take them away from there and throw them in appropriate place.

The fatherland does not defend only with political rallies and counter-rallies, but we need to show that we love and respect it. The fatherland is loved above all by respecting our neighbor and our environment. We can not just ask to go to Europe and not behave in a European way.

M-r Rade Colovic