Let’s not blacken our country

One evening I entered with my wife into the “Linella” store in Chișinău; and while my wife was shopping, I went to the sausage and meat section. There is only one big and long enough section, and it happened to be only one seller and many customers at the whole screen of the vitrin. While I was waiting, a man standing close to me was speaking to a woman, probably his spouse, and with resentment, were saying, “Well,what can we do? It happens only in our country…” I thought that I have heard this many times before, this kind of reproval, and I don’t think it’s good to think like that.

Another time, I was at the passport office and the line was moving fast enough, and a woman wanted to impress us all with how ”civilized” she is. Many people saw it and still were resentful and with loud voices were saying that Moldova is left behind and look how beautiful is the life in Italy, there are no rows. Even last week I came from Italy and saw that there, people also stay in rows. At the airport in Italy, agents yielded in efficiency to those from Chișinău and when I went to the coffee shop from the airport, it was told to us that the order will be given to us only in 40 minutes and when I asked them to offer us what can be prepared in a shorter time, they couldn’t give us any solutions. I think that in Moldova’s airport, they could have given us solutions. Don’t misunderstand me, I am not complaining that in Italy it is not good to live.  I liked Italians and have found them hospitable, but I just want to show that there are lines in many other countries and it’s not the time to blame our country for this. I’ve heard this complaint that “it happens only in Moldova” from Russians, but there there are also lines. After You pass the passport control in the airport of Moscow, you would highly appreciate the speed of how this control line in the airport of Chișinău. It’s true that there is a big difference of the flow of the passengers. Again, what I want to point out is that there are lines in every country and everywhere we must be patient and not talk badly about the country God gave to us.

When the Israelites received as heritage from God the land of Canaan, Moses sent twelve spies to explore the land and in this way to make a good plan of conquering it. At their return, ten of them were speaking, because they left in the shadows the blessings of countries and pointed out only the things that were undefeatable. When they return back from exploring the land…

Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.” Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. (Numbers 13:27–14:1)(NASB)

This attitude of dissatisfaction and grumbling upsets God. That was then, and so it’s now. Why do we complain now, when God gave us such a beautiful and blessed country? Why did we become children who wait for money and who complain and are upset with their parents exactly for the same things they should be thankful and grateful? And the bad side is that this dissatisfaction and grumbling is quickly transmitted onto others, as it was then, to the people of Israel.

I would have liked to wait less in the line to the meat, but when the seller came closely I asked her why is she without a helper. She explained to me that the the others live far away and there is no transport, this is why she remains alone every evening after 9 pm. When it was my turn to pay, I asked for the book for complaints and suggestions and left a note asking for at least two sellers at that section to be at night.

I hope that the store management will appreciate my suggestion and make the necessary changes. May God help us to be thankful, for it is written: ” All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15)(NASB) Let’s not make all our days bad in our country through our dissatisfaction. A satisfied heart is a great gain and blessing.

Translated by Nicoleta Vicliuc