Few larger events in Lithuania avoid the painful theme of emigration, and this forum was not an exception. However, the speakers did not reiterate the boring “nation is evacuating, oh we should do something!“ discourse; rather, they viewed emigration as an opportunity for “mind circulation”. It has real potential to inspire progress in Lithuania through expertise and fresh ideas that returning students will bring back. R. Tamošaitis talked about his own experience twenty years ago with internship in Chicago. According to him, experience of another culture changed the way he thought about his own home country and in some sense “liberated” him. Provided that the students come back and bring whatever best the other countries have, this could be an unprecedented emergence of new trends and progress in Lithuanian Academia and beyond.
M. Adomėnas, who was especially eloquent that evening, shared some of his views about politics in Lithuania. In his opinion, academics play an insignificant role in policy-making, and Parliamentary discussions lack rational and scientifically-based arguments. Instead, votings happen in a “tribal” way, when members of Parliament just submit to the orders of the party leaders. This turned out to be a problem, since many MPs are highly incompetent, and, lacking rational voice from the academicians, Parliamentary discussions are transformed into mere battlefields for different interests and games of power.
Video of the forum: http://www.youtube.com/user/oxcamvu