This quotation undeniably gives food for thought since the problems of loneliness, misunderstanding and lack of communication seem to be really acute in modern world.
    There is a peculiar prolonged metaphor suggested by William Somerset Maugham in his famous novel «the Moon and the Sixpence». The author compared the tendency to separate existence which becomes endemic in our society, with the life of convicts sentenced to solitary confinement for life. Being put into isolated sells they tried to communicate by means of knocking at the prison walls. Either the walls were too thick or the invented language too obscure but the inhabitants of the prison had no chance to be heard and properly understood by the fellow prisoners.
    In mankind society sometimes the situation appears to slightly similar to that described above. Different social economic, cultural backgrounds in some cases may hinder normal communication and make people feel alienated. Sometimes people are reluctant to undertake certain measures in order to eliminate the gap between human beings. When life rests heavily on person’s shoulders gradually he finds himself absorbed in his own troubles and is likely to develop a thick skin to other people’s troubles. He won’t stir a finger to establish closer relations with the people surrounding him. And some people are subject to the sense of rivalry in various respects which inevitably leads to estrangement. On the other hand people may be eager to communicate with each other and share their joy, worries and ideas but unfortunately they prove to be unable to express their intentions adequately and may even acquire the inferiority complex being misunderstood. It’s no use denying the separate existence, loneliness, the lack of mutual understanding mar people’s happiness. That is why people’s longing for unity is obvious.
    That is why such international youth encounters as German and the Russian partners conduct in the frame of the cooperation project «Building Bridges» seem to be essential and the idea itself no doubt unanimously accepted. Watching how representatives of different countries mix up and the participants of different countries rub shoulders one can’t but feel that nowadays thanks to this project the walls separating us are being destroyed, the abyss between people is eliminated because new bridges are being built.
    Building bridges is the goal we are striving to achieve by organizing and holding annual international camps in Youth Centre “Lazurny” in Russian Federation. This youth exchange in the frame of the camp became traditional and gained a very good reputation. The representatives of more than from 14 countries have already taken part in this project and has got a great possibility to learn from each other, gain new experience and find new friends. Each year we try to search for new methods and ways to create the atmosphere of mutual understanding and friendship in the Camp alongside with some traditional well worked out methods which surely help us in building bridges of peace and friendship between the nations and help to conduct an international dialogue.