Off topic > Viva Republica Tunisiana

Today is Tunisia's day, the independence Day. Today I’m exceptionally proud to witness all the growth and development Tunisia has sustained during the last 50 yrs.

However, being as jealous and as perfectionist as I am, I hope that we can bank on those achievements and accelerate the pace of development, for the benefit of our people...

Colleagues from the blogsphere have marked this day by depicting the history behind this event. I'll try to take this further by writing up on the future and how we can better foster a path to sustained growth in a very tough and challenging world.

I shall start by:

* Calling on Tunisians from the inside to effectively contribute to the economy (see my post Tunisia vs. Taiwan), that is: consume Tunisian goods, reduce dependency on foreign goods, stop or at least reduce the 'show off / frime' mentality and buy only what you need. Promote and work in the community, think more about others instead of being focused on the 'me' and 'me only'

* Invest in intangible goods, in ventures, in innovation, in ideas; think 100 yrs ahead like others nations do, think about the future generation and what you can offer them.

* Build your savings, manage your budget carefully, and don’t go overboard. Savings are a measure for healthy economy and are used to promote large scale projects that help everybody at the end.

* Care about the environment, commute whenever possible even if your comfort takes a hit from time to time, recycle and keep it green and last but not the least WALK a lot! It keeps you healthy and the environment clean from emissions.

* Stop talking too much and start listening instead, listen to advice, to other people's experience, to the elderly, learn and keep learning...that's how Islamic pioneers prospered by understanding the Greek concepts and putting them into practice.

* For the Tunisians aboard, your efforts should be double those from within because you have better access to knowledge, to money and to people. The key word here is INVEST IN TUNISIA by all means possible, such as real-estate, innovation, partnership, lectures at your native university or school, vacationing if you can. Being a Star Tunisian abroad and promoting Tunisia's picture does not help anymore (that was the old days when Tunisia was unknown), now reality has changed, Tunisia needs your money, your brain and your contacts.

* For the families, teach your kids and your surroundings the core values of the Tunisian culture and traditions, tell them about the blood and sacrifices made by Tunisia's founders, teach them the vertues of giving, caring and sharing.

And last but not the least, WORK HARD all the time, this is your duty to you civil society.

Tahya Tounis!!!