Eastern European people are well-known for their honesty and integrity. After living in Eastern Europe for a period of time, I’ve realized that the best people that I’ve met are all from Eastern Europe – they have become my best friends in life. Since I’ve met many different people, I’d like to summarize the most paramount elements in friendships.
Why does integrity matter so much?
When your words and your actions don’t match, lack of integrity destroys trust. That’s why relationships end.
Eastern European people highly value integrity. They are the most honest people that I know. They don’t talk a bigger game than they live up to. Their actions match their words.
I’ve also lived in America and Asia where I noticed that people in America and Asia are more competitive, so they tend to talk a bigger game sometimes. I’m not sure whether their actions match their words or not. Maybe the majority of them are more ambitious and have made great things happen through their actions, but I’ve lost friends from more competitive cultures such as the American culture and the Asian culture where winning might be more important than honesty at times. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have anything against the Asian culture or the American culture (I actually think American people and Asian people are much more hardworking, and their work ethic is to be admired). I’m just saying integrity is very important to me and I find Eastern European people & I share the same value system most of the time.
Absence of manipulation is the key to a successful friendship.
The most common manipulation in friendships is manipulating guilt. For example, I had a friend who wasn’t supportive when I told her that I decided to be a freelance writer and write about self-improvement. She used to hang out with me every weekend, but then I changed my plans on the weekend as I wanted to write articles at home on Saturday and Sunday. (I have a day job from Monday to Friday). Instead of praising me for trying to build a new career, she was guilting me by saying, “How come you don’t want to hang out with me anymore? We are close friends. Don’t do that to me.”
Then I would go out with her occasionally to make her feel better. But she kept manipulating guilt. So, in the end, I had to end that friendship.
Fortunately, now I am living in Eastern Europe, and I’ve become friends with higher quality people.
“Living in Eastern Europe gives me an opportunity to meet amazing people and learn so much about the truth behind friendships.”
