??? The Fragility of Freedom: How Generational Amnesia and Complacency Threaten Our Democratic Future
Camelia Ana Hanos
Where Psychology Meets Structure & Strategy: Clinical Psychologist | Transpersonal Psychotherapist in Training | Mathematician | IPMA-Certified Project Manager | Crafting Insightful Online Content
Freedom is a beautiful word—yet also a fragile one. For those who’ve lived under oppression, freedom is a treasure, something to be fiercely protected. But as time passes, and the memory of totalitarianism fades, younger generations can develop a dangerous sense of complacency, believing freedom is theirs by default, unbreakable and untouchable. But is this belief only an illusion? ???
My Childhood Under Communism: Fear, Silence, and Survival
I was 11 years old when the Romanian Revolution took place in 1989, marking the end of a brutal dictatorship. The memories of life under Ceau?escu’s regime are imprinted on my heart, some of them are so vivid that they feel like yesterday. I remember being very young, maybe four or five, when I started noticing something strange. Late at night, my parents would quietly tune the radio to Radio Free Europe (Radio Europa liber?). They listened intently, voices low, careful to shield my brother and me from hearing too much. Yet, they couldn’t hide everything. They made us promise—swear—that we would tell no one about this. “If anyone finds out, Mama and Tata will go to prison, and you’ll be left alone,” they’d say.
Imagine being a young child, just starting to understand the world, and hearing that something as simple as listening to the radio could mean losing your parents forever. I was terrified, not only by the idea of my parents going to jail but by the thought of facing life alone. That’s the kind of fear we lived with daily, a fear that became as normal as breathing.
Yet, in spite of that constant fear, I also experienced love and happiness. I have a photo from that time, capturing me as a child, smiling up at my parents, feeling safe just because they were with me. It’s a reminder that even under the weight of oppression, family brought light and hope. That photo means the world to me—a little piece of what dictatorship couldn’t take. ?? (see photo above)
Life under communism was also marked by countless humiliations and indignities. My parents were intellectuals, respected in their fields, yet no matter how hard they worked, no matter how much they sacrificed, they found themselves at the mercy of petty store clerks who decided who got what. The clerks, who controlled food distribution, were the gatekeepers of even the most basic necessities. Butter, milk, a loaf of white bread—these were luxuries only those in power could access easily. Intellectuals, people who had devoted their lives to learning, were reduced to begging for scraps.
My grandparents, too, bore the weight of the system. They would wake up as early as 2 or 3 a.m., standing in line for hours in the hope of buying a liter of milk or a packet of butter when the stores opened at 6. Sometimes, they’d wake my brother and me to stand with them in those lines, each additional person increasing the chance of getting an extra ration. I was so young, maybe three or four, but I knew that our family depended on every hand, every place in line. Month after month, we’d take our ration cards to the assigned shop, collecting our one liter of oil, one kilogram of sugar, one kilogram of flour per person. These weren’t just food items; they were symbols of survival, reminders that the state controlled every aspect of our lives. ????
The Revolution and a New Dawn
When the revolution finally arrived, the joy was overwhelming. We felt like a dark, oppressive cloud had been lifted. Suddenly, we could dream of a life without fear, a world beyond Romania’s borders—a world we’d glimpsed only in smuggled magazines showing colorful, vibrant lives that felt like pure fantasy. The revolution filled us with hope that things would finally change, that we could leave the grey, stifling world behind and build something beautiful. ???
A Dangerous Nostalgia Among the Younger Generation
But today, I’m seeing something deeply troubling: a wave of nostalgia for that oppressive past. ?? According to recent surveys, a significant number of young Romanians—who never experienced communism firsthand—now believe life might have been better under dictatorship. They see the job stability, the promise of housing, and the support for raising a family as positives, not recognizing the fear, scarcity, and repression that came with it. They can’t grasp that behind every loaf of bread and every apartment, there was a system that controlled, monitored, and punished anyone who dared to think differently. ??
This sentiment isn’t unique to Romania. Psychologists call this “generational amnesia”—the gradual fading of collective memory, where stories of hardship become abstract and lose their emotional weight. For younger generations, freedom feels like a permanent right, something no one can take away. They don’t realize that such complacency can be perilous, opening the door to authoritarian ideologies that promise “stability” but chip away at freedom.
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The Trap of Utopian Complacency: Lessons from Calhoun’s “Universe 25” Experiment
In the 1960s, researcher John B. Calhoun ran a disturbing experiment called “Universe 25.” He created a “utopia” for mice or "mouse paradise"—an environment with unlimited food, water, and shelter. Initially, the colony thrived, but as time passed, social structures broke down. Mice became aggressive, withdrew from social interactions, neglected their young, and eventually the colony collapsed. Without challenges to overcome, the society imploded, losing its capacity for healthy social functioning. ??
While Calhoun’s experiment is a stark warning, it’s crucial to remember that men are not mice. Human societies have layers of complexity, culture, and emotional depth that animal studies can’t fully capture. Still, his findings provide an intriguing perspective on what can happen when comfort leads to complacency. We shouldn’t interpret these results literally, but they remind us to tread carefully: prosperity without purpose, and freedom without vigilance, can destabilize a society’s foundation.
Our Responsibility to Remember and to Protect
Today’s generation may feel that the dark days of dictatorship could never return, that democracy is an immovable rock. But history tells us otherwise. Freedom isn’t a given; it’s a fragile, hard-won treasure. If we become complacent, we risk losing it. As someone who lived through those years, I know what happens when society forgets. That’s why it’s crucial to bridge the gap between past and present—to share our stories and the sacrifices made to achieve the freedoms we enjoy today.
?? Let’s remember: Freedom isn’t self-sustaining. It requires vigilance, awareness, and respect for those who suffered and fought to make it possible. It’s up to us to teach younger generations the value of what we have and to keep alive the memories that guard against repeating history’s darkest chapters. ????
#FreedomIsFragile #GenerationalAmnesia #RememberingOurPast #DemocracyMatters #RomanianExperience #ComplacencyKills #NeverForget
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Privatier and busy to enjoy life ??
4 个月Sooo true??