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Ioan-Aurel Pop: Hatred toward foreigners- the most foolish thing in relations among people; let's not encourage it
Hatred towards foreigners is the most stupid thing that appeared in relations among people, said Ioan Aurel Pop, the president of the Romanian Academy, considering there are no superior or inferior nations, but only nations with “a better known history and other with a less known history.”
His point of view was presented at an online meeting with high school students, to whom he spoke about cultivating values in Romanian schools and society.
“Hatred toward foreigners is the most stupid thing which had appeared in relations among people. But it exists. We have no right to cultivate and defend it. But the love for your birth place must be cultivated from at least a single reason: one cannot understand and love other people's birth places. If we understood those things, I do not think exaggerations could be produced, “ Pop said.
According to him, all Romanians who live abroad have the nostalgia of their birth place, because certain values come “from one's birth place”. “Some values come from your birth place. They are not replaceable. I traveled abroad a lot. All Romanians who live abroad have the nostalgia of their birth place. Even those people who criticize the country a lot come home with pleasure. Even people who do not acknowledge that do it. It means that the notions one gets from one's parents are connected to a certain place,”the historian said.
The president of the Academy also said there are no “nations with history and without history”, but “nations with better known history and others with a less known history.”
“I wonder and I am asking you: “Why should I be ashamed of this thing? Only because wars took place in the name of the nation? I told you, wars took place in the name of love, in the name of democracy, of faith. Do we have to change logic to the extend of condemning faith, freedom, democracy and nation for wars? Superior and inferior nations do not exist in this world, there are no nations with and without history, nations with better or less known history,” Ioan Aurel Pop said.