The question asked in the title refers to our immediate neighbors, and within that, to the leadership of countries, or the political "elite" and, thank God, not a large number, but all the more aggressive, dangerous extremist NAZI organizations, who continue their inciting activities with the tacit consent/support of their governments. Ordinary citizens of independent nationalities have no problems with each other, they are very tolerant of each other.

I apologize in advance that I am not a scholar of any branch of the humanities. I have an engineering degree. For me, technical education results in pragmatic, analytical thinking, logical reasoning, a different and more practical way of thinking...

Before we discuss the question posed in the title, a small introduction is perhaps appropriate, according to which the relationship between people and communities is determined by three basic factors.

1. THE DIFFERENCE. It is characteristic of people that they find it difficult to accept otherness, they always relate to strangers and others with a certain prejudice and reservation. We are an orphaned people in Europe. We have no related nations, such as the Slavs, Germans, Romanians, Anglo-Saxons... Our language is not similar to any European language, its sound and intonation are also foreign to other ears and difficult to remember. Only for us, ITALY = ITALY, the Poles = Polish... Our customs are completely different, our mentality is different. That's why, to put it mildly, they don't like us, they dislike us, they fear us, they don't understand us.

2. ENVY. "Envy is deeply embedded in the human psyche, it has occurred/acts in all periods of history and in anyone... For example, in Greek mythology, Hera's envy of Aphrodite is what finally sparks the Trojan War" (quote from Wikipedia). But we know an even more terrible example. Envy can cloud the mind, envy can make you do terrible things. Evidence - The story of Cain and Abel.

Envy is triggered when you find yourself face to face with someone who, compared to you, has a higher position, better results and successes. Our feelings about these often awaken pain in us. This mainly "yellow" envy is an insidious feeling, often we don't even admit it to ourselves, we don't notice it.

So what causes envy towards us? Our heroic past, our deeply rooted national culture, which is significantly higher than that of Hungarians, a sophisticated, highly educated social stratum known for its exemplary patriotism, honesty, and pride developed over the centuries - the aristocracy and the large number of intelligentsia. We have something to be proud of. Our outstanding successes in all aspects of life are undisputed: in warfare, science, sports, culture, art. In relation to the number of the population, we have enriched the world with the most outstanding epoch-making personalities. I can only mention a few names: Ede Teller, Ferenc Liszt, Albert Szentgyörgyi, Mór Jókai, and the list goes on.

Unfortunately, our neighbors who are occupying us do not have similar values. Since over the centuries these nations were unable to create even some kind of statehood, a significant national intellectual layer could not develop. They try to make up for the lack of this by denying their history and belittling us. This is precisely the basis of the tension between our nations.

This "yellow" envy, which also causes subconscious pain, causes enmity towards us.

3. FEAR: Humanity is programmed in such a way that every individual, community, but also nation requires freedom, tries to become independent from others. He strives for independence. Evidence of this is the numerous revolutions and freedom wars. Kosovo, the Catalans, the Basques, the Irish... On the other hand, humanity, but also the living world (animals, plants) are also programmed in such a way that they try to acquire larger territories. For this purpose, he is not selective in his means, he knows no mercy or compassion. This is why, since ancient times, war and enmity have been raging on earth incessantly. And regardless of how he got the surplus land, he clings to it tooth and nail and is even willing to protect it at the cost of his life. Not infrequently, we witness even close relatives fighting each other for a 10-centimeter shirt...

Our neighbors did not steal our ancestral Hungarian land under their control. Unexpectedly, and even to a certain extent despite their expectations, he fell into their laps for free. (Why the border of their countries was formed in this way is a separate topic)... Humanity is driven by the pursuit of justice, and they even subconsciously reject injustice. They fear retaliation.

Our occupiers are aware that they are provoking dissatisfaction among the Hungarians, to whom they are causing suffering. They feel that they are unfair to us, to a certain extent subconsciously, the humanism fed into them awakens a certain sense of guilt. After all, this "self-flagellation" causes antipathy and hostility. This paradoxical phenomenon is known in psychiatry...

If they acquired those territories by force, through their victims, then the situation would be different. Violence and aggressiveness do not know mental anguish... Of course, they are aware that this state of affairs cannot be maintained for a long time. ... This is also why they are trying to "dilute" the settlements inhabited by Hungarians: they are moving more and more of their own to Hungarian villages and towns. In other words, they want to turn the Hungarian-Slavic ratio to their side... They are trying to Slavize us, they are naively trying to endear themselves to us.

WHERE IS THE EXIT? : They are afraid that if they grant us even a little self-determination right to begin with, we will demand more and more independence, then independence and finally - secession. But they feel and know that we are all the more dissatisfied.

For a start, we try to make them understand that it is impossible to like anyone or anything by force. So, if they realize that it is in our interest to bring the country of which we are citizens (even against our will) to a more successful and higher level, and if they judge our expectations to be legitimate, they will ensure absolute freedom on the basis of nationality, that is, not a single we are limited in the exercise of our national sentiment, our belonging, and legally, morally, materially, our needs are fully satisfied (even better than in the Motherland), border crossing is also free, not limited, then we will not try very hard to get rid of our well-being... We treat them with recognition. We do not see them as enemies to be feared, but as friends whose common interest is mutual sympathy... It is time for biased politicians to realize that it is impossible to build a peaceful, successful society/state by inciting hostility and hatred.

In the end, what is important is not whether we live according to the laws created by Budapest, Bratislava or Kiev, but how well we accept them, how well they meet our expectations, how well they respect us, how well they satisfy our needs. This applies to the Hungarian population of all neighboring countries. After all, Hungary still borders on itself... Let's hope that sooner or later (but rather sooner) the historical truth will be restored. (from 1938 to 1944).

Author: v. Fat George. Ungvár–Záhony

(Header image: KMKSZ poster )