Slovakia lags behind in innovations, says EC, Flash News, January 13, 2006
On Thursday 12 January I brought my mother to the airport in Bratislava and returned to Radošovce after seeing her through customs. There was fog as thick as porridge and the pilot of Slovak Airlines decided to not take off.
So the passengers were put in a bus and brought to a hotel in Bratislava for the night. The manager of the hotel apologized upfront for the accommodation, by making it clear that the government did not supply sufficient funds for him to 'hotel' better.
The towels were torn in half, the bath had a large rust mark, the bedside light switch was dangling on it's own wire, no radio, no TV, no food available; in short, it was poor.
My mother didn't mind really, except for one thing that had bothered her all the time during her three-week stay: the virtual refusal of many Slovaks to look at life in a positive light and to (at least sometimes) smile a little.
What innovations can one expect from a people who appear to look at life in such a gloomy way? I reckon that before expecting any innovative activities, the Slovak government should start a campaign to try and convey to people that they live in a beautiful and free country that can bloom if they would realize what they actually have and what that can become with a positive approach.
One cannot expect any kind of innovation to originate in a generally negative atmosphere.
Oscar,
Radošovce, Slovakia
