I bought tickets to the Madonna concert in Warsaw six months ago, as it was supposed to be my smashing and symbolic thirtieth birthday trip. I had high hopes in hearing my idol performing part of the highest-grossing tours in music history. This however was never meant to be. My dreams were mostly shattered by the classic Lithuanian traits — irresponsible and degrading behavior — this time perpetrated by tourism agency Litaura that undertook the usually uncomplicated task of taking us from Vilnius to Warsaw.

Dream becomes nightmare

The trip of my dreams-turned-nightmare had all the elements necessary for legal recognition as torture and degrading treatment: the horrid smell and look of the bus, blood-freezing cold, non-reclining chairs, water dripping on our heads and no toilet available. A car can reach Warsaw in six hours, while a bus ride usually takes eight or nine hours. Ours took over 13 hours because the bus, made in 1976, broke down halfway with the company refusing to replace it. After all, it didn’t repeatedly break down completely they claimed. After 10-30 minutes of standing (usually in the middle of highway), it’d come to life. The driver then rode grease lightning for about five minutes at the highest speed the pitiful vehicle could manage before it puttered to a halt.

No food or toilet stops were made, but we were free to use the bushes during the involuntary stops. Some ladies performed the daredevil feat of crossing the Polish highways on foot just for a bit of privacy. We were happy to finally make it to the Bemowo Airport just before the concert (forgetting the promised free time and excursions). However, we were relieved after we received a personal promise from the Litaura director that a new bus had already been dispatched from Vilnius to take us back to Lithuania. Finally, I could relax and enjoy the concert, even though I only wanted to lay down on the grass and get some sleep. No choruses of virgins trying to disrupt the “crypto-satanic” event were at sight, and I could wait for the Queen while tasting some national Polish food (pig’s behind) and beer (really, Carlsberg?).

Maddie was fabulous and it was her birthday that night too, but by the end of the concert, the only thing I could think about was getting to a bus and sleeping all the way back. We crawled/walked five kilometers to the meeting spot and found… the same old antique bus waiting for us!

The half-mad looking driver, who by that time hadn’t slept for almost 24 hours, had miraculously “repaired it.”

Sixty Lithuanians clambered in without a whiff of protest. I joined them after the manager of the trip promised me that her modern and comfortable bus will escort us, and in case of any trouble, will stop and stay with us until the replacement arrives.

The bus broke down before leaving the city. Instead of stopping, our escort increased the speed and left us in the middle of a crossroads. I soon found out there was no hope of reaching Vilnius that night because, as both the manager and director admitted on the phone, there actually was no reserve bus. We waited at a gas station till 6 a.m. when some Polish driver came and took us to the border.

It was a luxury ride by Baltic standards, with a bus at least a decade younger and non-stop Polish-language pirate films.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry, when I saw the “Flying Dutchman” — the again miraculously repaired antique bus at the border. I was so selfishly happy that I live in Vilnius and not Kaunas, as the guide tried to coax us to join him on ride to Kaunas on the “Flying Dutchman” with the now 48-hours-sleepless driver. I just hope the people from Kaunas made it….

Our freedom desperately needs responsibility

While humble Lithuanians waited for solutions, sighs and moans “poor driver” and “imagine how the guide feels” rippled through the tour group. Although the most likely reason for the bus breaking down was stocking of bad petrol, people argued the bus driver cannot be held responsible because he only did what he was told to do. The guide was not responsible either, as he was told the reserve bus is available. The manager just tried to keep the people on the other bus satisfied. The owner just tried to make his profits.

Taken separately, Lithuanians would say nobody is responsible. And this is exactly the problem with Lithuania, in my opinion. If every person involved in this story: the bus driver, the guide, the manager, the owner of the company took small responsible steps, we would not have had this hideous experience.

The bus driver could refuse to put the bad (but cheap) petrol in, or to drive the bus that’s close to breaking down on a highway during the night, or work after two sleepless days. The guide could have insisted on a replacement and at least gotten us some food and/or a hotel. The manager could have kept her promises. The owner should not have lied about the reserve bus and treat his paying passengers like sacks of potatoes to transport.

So, the bus driver is a simple man and he needs his salary. And yet, it is still within his discretion to say no to corrupt suggestions. Yes, he might lose his job, but he would gain a deserved self-respect, grow as a person and might even get a job at a more ethical employer or start his own business.

All too often we keep forgetting in Lithuania that we are not slaves. I just want to stress that we always, always have the freedom of choice. We can choose whether to climb into a potentially dangerous vehicle. We can choose whether to take the salary in an envelope, or to give a bribe.

Every one of us can decide to quit a corrupt job, refuse illegal suggestions and refrain from plagiarizing at schools or universities. We can be responsible for more than just what’s profitable. We can have our own standards, even if we feel that an individual is just one cog in the machine. The situation can change if every one of us chooses to be free and take the responsibility for our actions.

Along the freedom to act at own discretion, responsibility for one’s actions is the concept we desperately need to learn. If I give a bribe, it’s not the system‚ it’s fault, it is also my choice and responsibility. The same applies for corruption, low work standards, plagiarizing, pollution, etc. Things don’t just happen. Every one of us makes them happen by their personal input. There is no such thing as irresponsible system or “guilty environment.” It is us, the individuals, who makes the system accountable and compassionate or corrupt and hopeless. So don’t blame the government or the police. See what you can do to change the situation. Even the smallest input counts, like making an informed voting decision or taking care of your environment.

Realize your potential and the forces that are trying to control you. Choose the red pill. Be free. Take responsibility for your actions. Let us grow, Lithuanians!

Disclaimer:

Views expressed in the opinion section are never those of the Baltic Reports company or the website’s editorial team as a whole, but merely those of the individual writer.