Independence…my ass

Yes. This is one of those articles that says again that ours is not independence at all. And… that today we are celebrating a hollow holiday. So if today you are in the mood to wave tricolor flags, drink brandy and get pumped up, cursing Syrians, Russians, gayropa, the international situation, the Great Powers, Ottoman enslavers, etc., you can indulge in this plebeian feast of the soul… but when you sober up, read it anyway.

What actually happened on September 22, 1908?

It's very simple. We had an aristocratic pampered man who really wanted to be a king, but he was never a king, because his ward state was not yet a state, but a mere vassal of the Ottoman Empire. And Ferdinand said, "From tomorrow you become independent, and I become your king," and for three days they ate, drank and made merry... On the one hand, "Wonderful," anyone would say, better an Austrian leader than a Turkish one. The independent Bulgarian kingdom opens up an opportunity for a new field of expression - Bulgaria can independently enter into military alliances and conduct military operations. No matter what, it's done. In the next 40 years, we enter several wars and three national catastrophes as a result of them. The new king of independent Bulgaria makes several maneuvers for sole rule, and Levski's vision of a "Pure and Holy Republic" totally does not correspond to the reality in Bulgaria - political persecutions, murders of prominent figures, organized crime, corruption, mass misunderstanding of how the state works. All this happened about a century ago. Do you see any difference with today?

Why is it difficult for us to be independent?

Independence does not come after some ceremonialist reads a piece of paper and ritually signs it. Nor will it come if we change the ritual and instead have a priest sing it or a badger dance a Cossack dance to a full moon. Being independent is above all a process. A process of constant awareness of the surrounding environment and recognizing the dangerous, the enemy - the one who wants to seize your freedom, to make you dependent. Such a process has never begun in our country. Replacing the Ottoman tyrant with an Austrian is not freedom, nor the Austrian with a Bulgarian. Whether my freedom will be taken away in favor of a Bulgarian, a Turk or a Martian is irrelevant. I am not free. Just as you don't particularly care what nationality the vandal is when he smashes your car. You care how much it costs for him to get what he deserves. I have never met a person in a similar situation who would tell me, "Oh...it's okay. The boy was Bulgarian. But if he were Turkish, I would be angry."
Well…we need such a culture when it comes to citizen-state relations. That’s where our lack of freedom comes from. All historians love to talk about the “unbearable tithe” during the Ottoman Empire, and today the tithe has transformed into a fortieth! Today, the Bulgarian quite formally and voluntarily gives the tyrant 40% of everything he generates for himself. How can you claim to be independent?! Tomorrow, when you lie down sick, you will pray to the tyrant to heal you; when you retire, you will hope the tyrant will raise your ration; when a child is born to you, the tyrant will take care of it and raise it. Freedom?! You are a subject under the Constitution. You have a duty to the tyrant. You even have a duty to die in the name of the tyrant if he asks you to.

Three states, three independences…two are superfluous

A simple analogy between three countries and their three independences. We've clarified ours. Let's look at Russia. On June 12, the Russian Federation celebrates one of the youngest state holidays - Russia Day. On this day in 1990, the first Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR adopted a Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Russia, which proclaimed the Constitution of Russia and its laws. Recently, the holiday has been called "Russia Day". How many Russians know this? Answer: not many. Half don't know exactly what kind of holiday it is, and a fifth can't explain what it means to be independent. Surprised? Probably not...

When is the US Independence Day? Everyone knows it – July 4th, fireworks, celebrations, picnics, etc. Why is this holiday important for Americans? Because, in order to achieve their independence, they fought and fought. Even those who were not on the front lines, supported the fight for sovereignty and, most of all, for personal freedom in every way. The US Constitution was written to protect people from tyranny, regardless of whether it came from their own or an outsider, because the people who wrote it already knew freedom. If you grab the rifle, the hoe, the flag and go fight the tyrant, you are already free, you are already independent. Such a thing has never happened in Bulgaria or Russia. Our independence is on paper, which is why our holiday is hollow.

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