Babaryka to prison guards: "I had it, now I don't, but there's a chance I will. And you never had it, don't have it, and never will. And neither will your children."

Viktar Babaryka assures that if he ever starts writing a book, he will title it "Happy Loser." In his opinion, the events of 2020, on the one hand, can be called a failure because they did not achieve what they wanted. However, he doesn't feel disappointed because of it.

"In fact, I am happy that I had the year 2020 in my life. In any case, if I hadn't had it, I would regret that I hadn't."

A similar situation, according to him, applies to the bank:

"I had a bank, I loved it very much. But, as you say, the shareholders didn't support it, no one supposedly supported it. So, does that mean the bank was bad? Well, how? It was an excellent bank."

As Babaryka explains, this perception of events — where "on the one hand, it's a failure, and on the other, you live as a happy person" — helped him psychologically endure imprisonment.

"I understood that I was much freer than the people around me, including the guards," the former political prisoner asserts and gives an example:

"They really liked to tell me, when they came and showed me papers about what I had lost, what had been taken from me. And they said: Do you understand? I said: You know what the difference is? They asked: What? I said: I had it, now I don't, but there's a chance I will. You never had it, don't have it, and never will. And your children will have the same. That's the most terrible thing."

According to Babaryka, it's not important how long a person possessed something in life, but that there is always an opportunity to move forward. Life, he says, is a journey, and goals are never ultimately achieved. He compares it to the Great Wall of China: when it seems you've reached the last tower, there's another one beyond it. So too in life — a person is constantly moving and overcoming new obstacles.

"You think: 'Well, I'll get there — and that's it, it's all over.' And when you approach it, suddenly you see that beyond it, there's something else. You are constantly going somewhere. You are constantly overcoming something. This is the psychology that allowed me to survive," says Babaryka.

In addition to this, the second way to endure prison was the feeling that even in confinement, one can maintain control over one's own life and daily routine. Babaryka says that he tried to organize his time so that the prison didn't control him, but rather he himself — as much as possible — controlled his own life in these conditions.

"You can do exercises yourself, you can do something. My day was literally planned according to all the possibilities available. Every 15 minutes of every hour – walking around the cell. (…) Sudoku saved me a lot. A wonderful game: if it weren't for prison, I wouldn't even know its name. The book they give you once a week, you have to read all week. So, you have to read it. Every half an hour you should read something, do something. Clean the cell.

It's not time, not the prison that controls you — you control it. You build your life, even in these limited conditions, the way you want. Yes, in a limited space. But even in it, you can walk four meters left, four meters right. That depends on you. You can change that."

When asked what exactly in life gave him a sense of happiness that he wouldn't trade for anything, Viktar Babaryka replied:

"The fact that I always did what I considered necessary. That is, I was the one who wrote my life. I cannot blame anyone else, but I also cannot credit anyone else for my success. I am grateful to those who helped me, but I was always sure — no one made me. I did it myself."

According to Babaryka, many people tend to blame others when something goes wrong, but at the same time attribute all successes to themselves. He tried to maintain balance: to acknowledge his responsibility for both successes and mistakes.

"Everything that happened to me is actually the result of my actions. And it's very good when you realize that you paint your own life. Whether it's good or bad — it's yours. (…) To summarize, it's probably the feeling of being a creator. You are the creator of your own life. And that's immense satisfaction."

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