Today is the first day of a new year, which means that all the remaining days of this year is our near future and it’s about time to think about it.

I can’t and don’t like guessing, but I still can dream. We shouldn’t guess what is awaiting us, but we can and should dream of what we should aim to.

We cannot go without planning, as we can’t have future without it; otherwise it looks like future. Good plans are realized not because we know the future but because we have correct attitude towards the past and the present, and this is what apperception — our vision forward — is built on.

If we talk about the future correctly, we make it present. Talking about the 2015 we disclose the future a little bit and see it as present. So what does our present look like?

2015 is a year of real peace

Last year humanity has escaped the World War III. We did it!

A hundred years ago no one has even tried to prevent the World War I. European nations enthusiastically meddled in it only to understand in 1915 all the horror of what they had done.

We tried to avert the World War II using public pacifist movements and sensible governments; but nothing helped. The World War II was even more horrifying than the World War I.

And now we managed to do it! This year the war of Russia against Ukraine will end. And this end of the war should be a real plan, not a dream, as well as a cessation of the imperial politics at the post-Soviet area.

My dream of 2015 is to realize the value of peace and make common peace our reality. We can solve all the problems of the humanity peacefully.

We managed to avert a new world war, which means that we will cope with all the other problems.

2015 is a year of Ukraine: The end of the story is cancelled

Europe has been living in peace for 70 years. It was intended and realized as a “party of peace”. However, military conflicts have been happening in the immediate vicinity from its borders. So it was our illusion that the history has ended and that the dream of the common Europe’s founders is realized, but this is not true.

The history hasn’t ended; on the contrary, now the new historical period is only starting. Centre of Europe is moving towards the East, and now it is in Kyiv.

What is happening with the Ukrainian nation and civil society is important not only for Europe; it is a factor of renovation for the whole Europe, and an example for the whole world.

Not many understand Ukrainian events, so our plans for 2015 should include understanding of Ukraine and its world importance; understand and help Ukraine.

While we are trying to understand that, I keep on dreaming. I dream that Belarus and Belarusans become capable of this solidarity as Ukrainians and resolve all our problems with the same responsibility and maturity as Ukrainians.

2015 is a year of Belarusan thinking: It’s Time to Think Belarus in a real way

Our country is in the situation of standstill.

Standstill is in our deeds, our development, but not in our thoughts! We cannot put our thoughts into irons. We have been searching for a place and forms of activity: tried to fit our thoughts into political parties, business and entrepreneurship, into universities, into bad laws and even worse practice of market regulation.

But during the recent years underground culture activated: artists, poets, and writers. A little bit later intellectuals have activated: we have realized out need for self-organization and stopped waiting anything from the regime.

Now we need to understand our country and coordinate our vision of the future. We already have such plans for 2015.

I dream that Belarusan intellectuals, creators, researchers take their worthy place in the Belarusan civil society and be active in demonstrating our civil stance.

Parties have nothing more to say; so is the regime. It’s our time to say something to the Belarusan society that is ready to listen.

2015 is a year of new ideas and of new people

Plans are needed to organize activity, even though they are not always realized as it was planned. There is no experience without mistakes. However, we still value achievements over mistakes.

Belarusan civil society is still in the process of development. We still don’t determine what is happening in the country, while this is the sense of civil society’s existence.

So why is our civil society so weak?

Because we wait for the political prisoners to be released, but we can’t make so that there are no political prisoners in our country.

We can organize ourselves to help those who are repressed, offended, dismissed, deported from the country, but we can’t do so that those people are not repressed, not offended, not dismissed, not deported from the country, and not killed. Belarusan citizens are the only people in Europe for whom the right to live and have fair court.

We can create resources and opportunities for citizens but we can’t use them.

I am not only dreaming that this year we will learn how to do it, but I am also making such plans.

I also dream that new people who will change me will be smarter, better, more mature and more responsible than us, and that these people make the basis of the civil society.

2015 will be the year of these people — Ulad Vialichka, Andrei Yahorau, Tatiana Vadalazhskaya, Aksana Shelest and those will leave these people behind.

I can’t make plans for every Belarusan to become responsible mature citizen, I can only dream of it. But Ukrainian experience demonstrates that this dream is true. Our country lacked civil stance of artists, writers, scientists, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and businessmen who would still behave as citizens staying in profession.

Successes and achievements to all of us this year in our common civil cause!

And personal happiness to everyone; let no one step into the future being offended!