LibertyCon: Celebration of Youth and Liberty

Hello friend,

How are you? How are your studies going? What about that exam you are so nervous about? Oh, and your parents keep persuading you to take a different turn in your career? Still haven’t quite decided what you want to do with your life? Or, maybe, you have been feeling heartbroken recently? Really hope it has worked out with your first job!

I know you are feeling so eager right now to ask me where and when we met. I’ll tell you, I promise, but on one condition: come to LibertyCon 2018.

20s are tough years, you’re right. Regular turmoils, ups and downs, too many interests to find a single vocation, questions and doubts, emotional breakdowns, self-pity and overwhelming expectations have been following us around; don’t try to deny it. You and me are in the same boat. I went to LibertyCon in 2016 having no idea why I chose to study law, why my parents were making decisions for me, and most importantly, why I was so afraid to take a stand against these and other pressures.

As humans, we tend to be instinctively in search of direction, a guidance, if you will. In most cases we want it to appear out of nowhere without us putting in much effort. My friend, trust me, that sweet feeling of lying on a couch while scrolling down your Facebook feed and laughing at virtual jokes is very familiar to me. Yet life begins when we leave our comfort zone.

At my first LibertyCon, I hardly knew anyone. I recall myself standing in a big corridor packed with groups of people, who seemed to have so much in common, while I myself wasn’t able to explain properly what classical liberal ideas were. The attendees looked so involved in their conversations, passionately debating liberty and drinking wine, as if time had stopped. Their nationality, occupation, and educational background mattered little. They all believed in liberty, having defined it as the only ideal worth pursuing; and it was more than enough for me to get absolutely and completely carried away.

Dealing with the challenges we face in our 20s is frustrating. You know, my friend, what makes it less painful? Oh, I am sure you want me to tell you that secret.

It’s a sense of community. What is a community, you might ask. I wish I could explain. Small things like chats over coffee and beer about similar problems, hugs and smiles we remember forever. You and I are only humans. We need something to celebrate and believe in with all our hearts. Is it that something you’re craving right now when your internship is not going so well, your professors don’t respond to your concerns about free speech, and when your friends avoid conversations about the crucial things bothering you?

Tell me on 13-15 April in Belgrade.