Belogorye asked tentatively, "So, Mr. Hertas, do you think East Africa's economic system was better in the past, or is it better now?"
Hertas did not hesitate at all. "Personally, I rather miss the past. The era of the planned economy was also when the country developed the fastest, and people generally felt happier."
"Life today has improved greatly in material terms, but it always feels as though a lot of the fun is missing. Young people now run themselves ragged just to make a living, and that has made society less warm and humane."
At this point, Hertas's lips curled slightly. "The atmosphere of life was better in our day. People also had a stronger sense of family and country. Most people were full of passion and drive."
Belogorye asked, "If that is so, have you ever thought of returning to that era?"
Hertas sighed. "How could it be that easy? Besides, the past was not entirely flawless either. You could only say that each had its own strengths and weaknesses."
"For example?" Belogorye pressed.
Hertas recalled, "For example, the problem of bureaucracy in the past. Back then, the state managed everything too comprehensively—food, clothing, housing, transportation, and every other aspect of life. Naturally, people had far less freedom."
"In that kind of environment, personal connections became even more important. If you had connections, you would definitely rise like a fish in water. But that was obviously unfair to ordinary people."
"Take the state-run shops of the past. Their service attitude was utterly dreadful. Unless you knew one of the employees inside, forget about service awareness—if you made one of them unhappy, they might even come to blows with you... A mere waiter could be like that, let alone factory directors, section chiefs..."
"I encountered plenty of people who