There has, as I see it, been three distinct unification processes that took place in Lithuania over the latest 100 years – in February 1918, March 1990 and in January 1991. These unification processes have had an enormous impact on Lithuania as a nation, and this country could easily have been looking very differently today had it not been for the fact that the nation's people and leaders, at these three important moments, so clearly manifested that Lithuania demanded to be a free, independent country with norms, values and dreams based on the country’s long and proud historical background and the many characteristics that had made this country and its people precisely the nation called Lithuania. Those qualities are what made Lithuania a great force of progress and prosperity in human history.

What is required now is for this country to again pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for own future once more.

The challenge this time is totally different from the three previous times. We are this time not challenged by threats from aggressive neighbours, but rather by internal resolution and lack of involvement within the nation's own population. What we see today is almost a kind of lethargy.

The challenge is not diminished by the fact that the country's population now is scattered all over the world.

The descendants of those who left Lithuania during World War II and earlier seem to be less and less connected to their ancestors’ home country and the enormous number of people who have left Lithuania over the past decade has made the challenge even more complicated.

The way I see it, we are in other words now faced with two parallel challenges:

1) To encourage the country’s own population to take common responsibility for a Lithuania changed to the better.
2) To connect all of Lithuanian origin, wherever in the world they live, to joint efforts and cooperation.

I think she has some very good points, the young woman who wrote in our debate forum a few days ago:

• Many people are angry but refuse to take their part in making Lithuania better.
• People refuse to change themselves in the first hand.
• People have the right to elect governments, but many do not even show up at the polling stations.
• We hate corruption, but many take the easy way and bribe policemen.
• People who could lead by example also chose the easy way instead.
• Change does not happen if we don’t make it happen.

We, here in VilNews, would like to have responses from you, dear readers, to the following questions;

1) What do you think should be done for this country to again unite in common efforts for improvement and new strength as a nation?

2) What do you think should be done with regard to new bridge-building between all with some form of connection to Lithuania?

I see the resolution trends we see for this nation as very sad and serious. But, as the young woman put it, change must start with ourselves.