Alar Karis: An industrious spirit and smart action will lead us forward

Fear and anxiety are of no use; only an industrious spirit and smart action will lead us forward. But how can we make our next developmental leap, and to where? President Alar Karis asked in his Independence Day speech.Happy birthday, dear Estonian Republic!Our country is to be created every day – it is the product our common efforts.These efforts are made by each and every one of us, no matter whether we are here today at the Estonia Concert Hall, in our homes across Estonia, or farther afield. Only then can the country be reborn every following morning: at the Narva Museum, in the Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion in Võru, at the Kehtna Vocational School, in Orjaku Harbor. In an Estonian embassy far away. On a sandy shore, in a rye field, or a bog island. In our youth's exuberance and our parents' caring. And if we lift our gazes higher, then it is not impossible that we will someday see the country in a new highway, a modern production facility or power plant, or a football stadium filled with future athletics stars.Estonia is our home. It is good and right to be here. Here, in the best place in the world, we are ourselves the very most.My greatest wish on today's anniversary is for every person in Estonia to feel good in their own home. So that no one feels left out.A sense of self and belonging are what hold us together as a state and a people. We are able to cast aside niche interests, political views, and inner compulsions when we are at the theater or a concert, attending sporting matches, guests at weddings or funerals, in a church at Christmas or at the Estonian Song and Dance Festival.If we selfishly sever the common threads that hold people together, then we sever our own identity as well. Yet, a small country like Estonia must always have an identity.We are an intelligent and hard-working nation; we have done well. Earlier, our success came from economic liberalism, uncomplicated bureaucracy, and a healthy budget. We have deftly adopted new technologies. We have been clever and innovative.Unfortunately, it feels today like we may be steadily balanced on our bikes' saddle but no matter how hard we pedal, we can no longer accelerate. It is as if we are clamping the brakes while pumping our legs as hard as we can. Our pace of development has levelled out and, let us be honest, even decreased. We are doing the same amount of work, maybe even more, but there is no visible or perceptible change in well-being. Nearly one in three Estonians say it is difficult to make ends meet. That is too many.The evil that has lifted its head and joined forces around the world is putting the solidarity of our system of values to the test. The rules-based world, foundations of our security structure, and earlier contracts now have a more fragile character and meaning. As if a villain drained all the colors from the world and is turning the picture black and white.The future is more unknown than it ordinarily is, but the world is not black and white. Fear and anxiety are of no use; only an industrious spirit and smart action will lead us forward.Therefore, let us ask: how can we make our next developmental leap, and to where?Estonia must discover new speeds.Dear listeners.In this corner of Europe, security is primary and the basis for everything. It protects our freedom, allows us to sing in Estonian on the Song Grounds, and maintains our economy. Now is the time for us to reinterpret Estonia's security in a broader way. And to invest in it: percentage points more, but above all making it more impactful in substance.Finding the right path through today's world has started to resemble slogging through a mire: one must pay extremely close attention and be able to look farther. It illustrates what we are experiencing right now: the international security structure's greatest shift in recent history.Ukraine is but one litmus. Not every peace is a good peace: giving into Russia's ultimatums or desires will not bring peace to Europe, but will only weaken it, and it will weaken the entire Free World, including the United States of America. Estonia will continue to support Ukraine. Increasing that support is within the means of every Ally to ensure that Ukraine has a stronger position in negotiations. Only a strong Europe can manage the world today. Preferably on the transatlantic security axis. But, if necessary, alone.This presents us with questions and a multilayered task.How do we find consensus in Europe when we have been walking in different or opposite directions in regard to many issues? How do we maintain the strength of the transatlantic security axis and NATO? How do we reform the UN so that no permanent member of the Security Council dares to violate the UN Charter's core treaty: a ban on attacking another country?Global problems are often also Europe's problems, from overcoming poverty in a faraway region to the security situation on the East China Sea. Recent meetings with the presidents of Turkey, Egypt, and Israel and leaders of Jordan and Palestine affirmed for me the importance of where we direct that gaze. The farther we look, the better. For the conflicts branching out across the world are all interconnected.In an uncertain global security situation, we must focus first and foremost on our own strength. By 'we', I mean both Estonia and our allies. Russia only understands force. And no one dares to attack the strong.Therefore, Europe has no choice but to invest more in its own defense. Not because the U.S. demands it, but because that is the geopolitical reality, and an alliance requires strong partners on both sides.The international situation requires Estonia to strengthen its military security daily, bringing together the general will to defend, more effective conscription, an action-ready reserve force, the Estonian Defense League, and modern weaponry with a range that extends into an attacker's rear area.It is clear that the cost of this deterrent military security exceeds Estonia's current 3.4 percent of GDP. By recommendation by the National Defense Council, I urged in November to increase our defense budget to 5 percent, which is not a mere number or percentage figure, but derives from the military requirements we see clearly calculated in NATO's defense plans.The fact that more must be paid for security must be honestly voiced, even in an election year.One inalienable aspect of security is citizens' trust in their state. Which means the state must be honest, personal, and intelligible both in perception and reality. Then, a desire to protect one's country and pay for national defense as a citizen will be understandable as well.However, there is also a danger when we start curbing rights in our country purely to give the impression of security. With every restriction, we must ask what we really wish to gain by it specifically and demand assurance that anything will be gained at all.The tenser the world becomes, the more we need to make careful considerations and avoid mistakes – especially when talking about amending the Constitution. We must keep in mind that if voting rules are changed shortly before an election, it will also impact that election's credibility. Limitations on basic rights that are not underpinned by convincing arguments will tarnish our international status as a state based on the rule of law and reduce our security in turn.Just as important alongside external and internal peace is Estonia's energy security, which we discuss often but are still left with more questions than answers. I call upon the Government and Riigikogu to, at long last, make clear to the public what will become of Estonia's energy policy based on scientific and numerical data. And to make decisions that, without favouring one technology or market actor over another, proceed from the big picture and do not burden consumers with long-term obligations.Estonian Auditor General Janar Holm recently pointed out that the future of our energy cannot be constructed piecemeal but must be viewed as a whole.Dear listeners.Here, we come to the next essential step. Estonia's economy needs a new speed. The Estonian economy has no other choice – we must make it smarter.The key issue in Estonia's welfare is not redistribution, but greater productivity. Today, we generate half the value per worker than in the United States. The gap between us and Scandinavia is more than a third. Compared to other countries, the situation is particularly inadequate in industry, which could be our economy's flagship instead.Growth of productivity must be the true target of Estonia's economic policy. When seeking foreign investments, our first question should not be how many jobs they will create because we have a labor shortage already. We must choose investments according to the degree by which they will boost Estonia's productivity and provide opportunities to develop a knowledge-rich economy.Research must move into entrepreneurism hand in hand with technology. From inside Estonia's universities to Estonia's public sphere. I'm familiar with the challenges and differences of opinion from the perspectives of both a university and a biotechnology startup, but they can be overcome.Most innovations do not stem directly from what is done in research institutions, but from us when we figure out ways to do things more efficiently. Human inventiveness, creativity, and the audacity to experiment are essential for making our everyday jobs more gainful.To increase productivity, we need a culture in businesses and society that does not excessively focus on today's entrenched habits or rule out trying new things.Estonia's entrepreneurs expect regularity and reduced bureaucracy most of all. Today, however, their outlooks have become quite hazy and unpredictable, and the roadsides peppered with traffic signs.We have become a country where the hand soap in an office kitchen must be clearly labelled 'hand soap' and the dishwashing liquid 'dishwashing liquid'. And multiple bureaucrats are required to check on those labels' existence. If a rule is silly, then it is not the fault of the official carrying out their duty, but that of the legislator. The message it gives nevertheless offends all parties and the country itself. I suggest we take Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise's proposed new Estonian word seriously: halduskius, or 'administrative bullying'.Bureaucracy is tiring. A 'not in my backyard' attitude halts economic development. Estonia's economy cannot only operate in Tallinn office buildings and among the ash hills of Viru County. There must be space for it elsewhere. Yes, that means even nearby someone's home.The smaller the location, the bigger the decisions. They can only be made in the spirit of cooperation. Only by respecting one another's wishes, as when we do, we are all able to benefit from vital developments.Ladies and gentlemen.Our third essential step is to reform education. We must reevaluate our understandings of learning and adopt new opportunities and technological solutions. Changes to education will guarantee a long-term outcome and effect.Thirty years ago, Estonia was searching for its place in a new world. That world was simultaneously trying to grasp where a revolutionary new technology might lead – the web, an internet network that would connect the entire globe.Estonia had enough individuals with the foresight to realize that it would be better to digitize society earlier rather than later, and that education was the best place to start. This led to the Tiger Leap program, which equipped every Estonian school with computers and an internet connection. It opened many doors to us, echoed around the world, and made Estonia greater.Today, we face the arrival of the next revolutionary technology. In the early years of the internet's mass proliferation, we had no idea that social networks and the e-state would become central parts of our everyday lives; similarly, we cannot foresee right now how artificial intelligence will ultimately transform our world. But let us acknowledge one thing: the transformation will be enormous.One year ago, I said that artificial intelligence already exists in our phones and computers, but we have not paid it enough attention yet. My advice was to familiarize with it quickly. To learn – students and teachers alike – how to use it to make our lives run more smoothly and create advantageous solutions together. I said that pupils should be guaranteed access to our new helpers so that the 'tiger' gains fresh momentum to leap so far and so high that it rises into flight. As a continuation of that thought, I invited Estonian entrepreneurs who have created unicorns to visit me and discuss ways to provide our economy new impetuses for development. During that conversation, it was suggested that we offer every Estonian pupil unlimited access to the newest and best AI models.That casual idea grew wings and tomorrow, Estonian entrepreneurs, educators, and the minister of education and research will gather in Kadriorg at my invitation to officially launch a new educational program. We will start with high schools. Already next autumn, digital educational tools and language models will find their way to tens of thousands of students across Estonia.This will change learning. Using new technology, we might accomplish what educational specialists have been dreaming of: to give each student the opportunity to study according to a personalized program. It is the development of cognitive ability, not simply memorizing existing knowledge, that lies at the heart of education.A smart nation does not delegate thinking to machines but uses them to amplify strengths and eliminate weaknesses. One needs not fear AI, but a person more skilled at utilizing it.My dear people.Reading is the bedrock of education. This year, we can say with pride that the Year of the Estonian Book has been kicked off. The very first Estonian-language work was published 500 years ago. 'The nation starts from a book,' as poet Hando Runnel says.At the outset of this year-long celebration, I invited young pupils to write essays on the topic 'To Read of Not to Read?' Ninth-grader Marite Vunk of Pärnu's Mai School wrote that you won't develop an interest in reading if you cannot find the right book. I quote, 'Sometimes it just takes time to discover a love of reading, but I am certain that for every person in the world, there's at least one story that they could reread a hundred times or more.'Yes, there is a book for everyone somewhere. Go out and find it! This Year of the Estonian Book, let us make sure there are more readers than writers in Estonia.At a time when the world is amassing with rumbling and roaring writing all around us, one's critical reading ability becomes ever more important. If we fail to nourish it, then we may read ourselves more foolish than before.The internet itself does not write, the radio itself does not speak, the TV itself does not show. One must know how to look between the lines and beyond the screens. Every text contains something more; sometimes, an abundance. Even bold-faced lies and hate can be glimpsed.Dear friends.This brings me to the thought that we must nevertheless pump the brakes, too.We must rid ourselves of hate. Too many of us walk around with our hair standing on end and sparks shooting from our eyes. Bad tempers must be grounded somewhere; in reading or taking a walk, for example. But never upon others. Not strangers or loved ones.We may have learned to talk and write, but ever less how to listen and read. We speak before thinking. Write first, then read.It is why we no longer have public debates, but more and more brandishing of headlines, hypotheses, and placards along with the simplification of opinions. There are not even any good jokes, as someone might be offended.Our societal mental health is greatly skewed, as we are surrounded by so much bullying and violence. Both verbal and physical, in the media and at home, hidden aggression and public put-downs.My sincere wish is this: less cruelty and less meanness.We can always use more goodness. Therefore, we must talk about how we are increasingly intolerant of different ways of thinking and unable to forgive. About how someone always has to be to blame. About how someone is constantly irritating us. The more anger and disdain that we sow, the more it reflects back upon us. You cannot expect people to show kindness, warmth, and love when you yourself are spiteful, abrasive, and snide.Dear guests.In order to remain standing and where we are, we must accelerate faster and faster. As a country, we must discover new speeds.We will make Estonia's education and economy smarter.We will employ artificial intelligence in addition to our own.We will bring technology and research to entrepreneurism.With the support of scientists and studies, we will help communities decide where necessary infrastructure and production should be placed.We will invest in national defense even more robustly.Together with our allies, we will build a Europe that is both economically and militarily strong.We will listen to and respect one another's opinions. We will nurture society both inside and outside of cities.We will make our picture colourful again and our music polyphonic.We will work not with hearts pounding, but hearts beating.We will be self-confident. My dear people!Last autumn, a storm raged across Estonia. Every county was battered, especially the islands. Manija was without radio, light, and water for three nights. Not to mention two dark days.Manilaid resident Mark Soosaar asked his neighbours about the storm damage: 'Are most of Kihnu's men and women still standing?'Leas Veera, chairwoman of the Kihnu Municipal Council, replied: 'No one's any worse for wear; it just jerked us around a little.'Happy Estonian Independence Day to us all!