The Wind of Transition

Yesun-Erdene.B

Michal Eskayo

Second Draft

The Wind of Transition

          Before the 1990’s Mongolia was a communist country, but at the beginning of the 1990's a group of people made a revolution. Then everything changed, and our nation became democratic. This economic change had influenced many people’s lives negatively and positively. Same as, it effected my family both ways, but one of the most significant changes is that I was able to go everywhere in the world. Although the communism change to a democracy initially harmed the economy of Mongolia, it proved for the better because it introduced religious freedom and free speech. 

          First of the economic changes had negatively influenced the condition of my family. After the collapse of communism, everybody’s life became difficult and completely changed the wrong way because the economy had no strength to carry the nation. For example, there was nothing to be sold in the grocery stores except for salt and sugar. People were given one cart to get a food once every week and each family was given five pieces of bread and one cup of sugar to per family. That is why people started to quit their jobs because the salary was not enough to survive on. People began to go abroad and create their own businesses. Like them, my father quit his job as a policeman and began his own import and export business to improve his life. However, he was not successful at all. His failure gave my parents hard time and it made them separate from each other. Their separation made me depressed and confused because growing up to a broken family was not easy. I am still jealous whenever I see a completely happy family. 

          However, there were also good things that happened. In 1990, democracy set in with a policy to reaffirm traditional culture and revived Buddhism, because as it was in the 1930’s, Mongolian religious traditions suffered much from the communist regime. They had started leading to an almost complete wipe out of the Buddhist clergy. All monasteries were destroyed and thousands of monks were killed or deported. That is why many rituals and festivals were subject to attempt or tried secularized throughout all of Mongolia. At that time people had no right to adore any religion, and my great-grandfather was one of Mongolian biggest disciple of the religious master of a Buddhist temple. He tried to escape from the repression, but he failed. They caught him with thousands of other monks, were herded into trucks by the security forces, and were shot in the head. As a result, his death has affected our family to be labeled a rebellious family. So when communism fell, our family was very glad to get back our family reputation and clear my great-grandfather’s name after the revival of Buddhism.

          The most important thing that happened is that I was now able to go everywhere in the world. For Mongolians, this economic change was the key to open the gate to the world for country. Being under the role of communism, we had no rights to give a free speech and no freedom. For example; everybody should be under the policy of the leader and have equal rights. If someone says something against their leaders’ policy, they would be arrested, and people could not express their opinions. Besides, the people’s minds were blind at that time because of the closed nation. Therefore, democracy brought us freedom and opens our eyes. 

          To conclude, the communism change to a democracy initially harmed the economy of Mongolia, it proved for the better because it introduced religious freedom and free speech. The wind of transition has made me who I am. In the beginning, the wind was freezing cold for me, but then it blew the little spark of life within me and set a big fire. This flame always going to be warm and it will be the light for my future. I would not be the person I am today if it was not for this wind I call Democracy.

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