The pervasive problem in many societies can be described not merely as political or a lack of modernity, but primarily as a problem of character. People love a comfortable life, but if comfort becomes the primary measure of life, it means the individual has not been introduced to the weight of responsibility. Such a person easily wavers, easily angers, and easily believes words that offer immediate benefit. However, nation-building does not work this way. A nation is not built on comfort; it is built on responsibility, sacrifice, discipline, and strong character.

Why is this important? Because many people perceive freedom as living without rules or obligations. But freedom is not like that. If freedom is not supported by strong character, it easily leads to chaotic disintegration. If a person cannot rule over themselves—cannot control their time, their word, their thoughts, their work, and their actions—they are not free. Living in the name of freedom while being led by emotional impulses, comfort, resentment, or weakness means one is not truly free.

Comfort is Not Distinct from Departure

The main problem for many young people in the modern world is not just an economic problem. The underlying issue is a lack of resilience and a life of entitlement. A person who cares mostly for comfort does not tolerate analysis; they do not like weight; they are not prepared to perform any task with diligence. Such a person easily fears when anxiety comes and easily falls apart when faced with trials. A nation cannot proceed on a secure path if it only has such people.

Responsibility Before Freedom

If a person is not structured by responsibility, their freedom can become destructive to themselves and others. Responsibility means knowing your duty as a father in your home, understanding your trust as a teacher to your students, performing your job with excellence as a worker, and accepting cooperation among your people as a duty as a citizen. Freedom only gains value if you are prepared to carry all of this. When freedom is associated with laziness, it leads to conflict.

Resentment as a Political Tool

The second evil is resentment. Resentment is not just hating another person. Resentment is the spirit within you that says, "I am not responsible; all faults are external." When this increases, it turns politics into slogans. People do not want to work on themselves; they prefer to accuse others. We must oppose errors found in institutions, but this should not erase the responsibility we have within ourselves. Politics filled with resentment prevents a person from seeing their own faults; however, it will weigh down the society.

Education is Not Enough Without Character

In many places, if a person gets a degree or knows a lot of information, they immediately think they have become a better person. This is a lie. A person who knows much but lacks character can be more dangerous than an uneducated person who has some good conscience. They can manipulate words, betray the people's trust, and consume institutions. Therefore, if education is not linked with truth, humility, and duty, it creates an elite that is dangerous to the nation.

Sacrifice as a Matter of Honor

If a society wants to survive, it must view sacrifice as something honorable. If it only demands comfort without contribution, it begins to consume the heritage that predecessors built through suffering. Our fathers and mothers did not live easily; they carried it with diligence, patience, and responsibility. What we have is a strength, not an accident. Therefore, if sacrifice becomes a matter of shame, the society's order weakens.

Discipline is Greater than Motivation

Many people live a life of "I will do it if I feel like it." But if a person always waits for their feelings, they will not fulfill their tasks. Discipline means studying even when you are bored, continuing even when you are tired, and performing your work even when you are not inspired. A person structured this way is not someone whose trust can be bypassed. Their life is not full of many started but unfinished tasks. A nation grows on a firm foundation if such citizens increase.

National Dignity is Not Shallow Arrogance

National pride is important. If a people only start criticizing themselves, they weaken. But national dignity does not mean saying everything is perfect. True national dignity is expressing the good things we have and wanting to correct the things we see are not done. Arrogance, however, cares only for image. It doesn't matter if it's true or not. This weakens the nation. We must link national dignity with respecting the proper truth.

Weak People Love Ideologies that Cancel Responsibility

A weak person often loves things that seem to explain everything because it doesn't force them to look at themselves. When the idea that "all faults are the system's, history's, or others'" is adopted, that person distances themselves from internal work. But this does not benefit society. You can oppose external struggles, but you must carry duty within yourself. If this is lost, politics turns into slogans without a stance.

Order is Not Oppression

Today, many people see rules, order, responsibility, or hierarchy as oppression. This is a big mistake. Oppression exists, and we must oppose it. But order is not directly oppression. A school without rules does not work. A family without responsibility does not last. A nation without law does not endure. The proper thing is to ensure order is linked with justice, not to betray order entirely.

Eritrea Needs Construction, Not Performance

Finally, a nation is not built by slogans. It is built by genuine work. Although Eritrea has those who struggled as fighters, what it needs more today are workers, teachers, engineers, people capable of administration, parents who live with responsibility, and citizens who respect excellence. A person who talks much but builds nothing does not benefit the nation much. But a person who performs even a small thing with excellence benefits the nation.

Therefore, the message is clear. If we want a dignified society, if we want firm institutions, if we want a self-reliant nation, we must discipline comfort, prioritize responsibility, oppose resentment, link education with character, cultivate discipline, see order as a necessary foundation, and choose construction over performance. A nation does not live by words; it lives by people. And those people must be strong, diligent, honest, and responsible.