LOOKS can be deceiving. I myself found proof of that, when I went to interview people in the skateboard park opposite the national stadium. Indeed, what I expected were fairly uniform answers. I couldn't have been more mistaken.

To many people, skaters and others who hang out at places like skateboard parks are simply youngsters caught up in their own circle, in their own lives. To others they are simply normal kids, who have come out to have fun.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Some of them really do consider their lives to be the most interesting thing, while others were astoundingly aware of the political, economic and cultural situation in the world. What really surprised me was that most of the people, who usually get accused of smoking pot, actually still consider "pot" as the thing you plant seeds in.

Very few of them have ever smoked cigarettes, let alone any other weed, and they consider drugs to be a disgraceful habit. An 18-year-old girl, a student in Sofia, said: "People do drugs, because they like it, others because they think it's a cool thing to do. Personally I think that it's a pointless pastime, there are so many other nice things you can do. It's just stupid to ruin your life with a pleasure-inducing poison." There are in fact many different views on the matter. Some people, even though they consider drugs, alcohol and pot to be futile, admit that they can be used within limits and with care. "Sometimes it is fun to have a smoke with friends, but people really should be careful not to let the drugs overwhelm them, to let them take over." When something like that happens, it ruins lives to the maximum. "Drug addicts are not bad people; they're simply youngsters who have got carried away with something more powerful than them."

Amazingly, no one I spoke to held marijuana to be unquestionably a good thing. I found this pleasantly surprising (I must add, however, that the people from whom I expected that kind of answer, were not really capable of expressing a view). Admittedly, there still are potheads and junkies, but majority public opinion - that most youngsters who spend five hours a day at large "hang-out spots" and tend to stay there till long after dark, are spending their time abusing illegal substances - is wrong. They are open-minded people, aware of what's happening around the world, and willing to help.

Amazingly, every answer I received when I asked about politics was roughly the same. Four completely different teenagers, not acquainted with each other, responded in the same way. Two students at Sofia University claimed to be very intrigued by the political situation, not only here, but in places like the Middle East, Africa and America. "I realise the importance of politics. Those people dictate what goes on in the world, their decisions alone can alter the lives of thousands if not millions." And still, albeit their young age, and different interests, some young people consider themselves capable of making a difference. Others say, "Politicians do have power, and sometimes I don't agree with their decisions, but what can I do about it. I simply can't do anything about it. Therefore why should it take up so much time in my life?" Teenagers talk about politics, but most of them consider themselves incapable of making any difference whatsoever, so they simply don't bother with it as much. So when asked whether they would consider a future in politics, most of the teenagers said, that they would on no occasion take to a career in office. But even with the lack of interest shown in a career in policy, young people still hope that in some way they will be able to make a difference. Not only in Bulgaria, but also around the world. The majority of youngsters are concerned by what is happening in Iraq, for instance. "It's sickening, because some fat bigwig has said he wants `peace' in a far corner of the world, and just by doing so has placed thousands of people in jeopardy, condemned them to a dangerous and possibly fatal venture." Other places of interest are the countries engulfed by civil war and poverty in Africa, the Third World countries. "It's not just their problem, who knows, we might just as well have been in their place. We might have been the ones starving, and getting killed in the streets. The ignorance of some people is just shocking, how can they sit, overweight and happy with life, while a child somewhere lies on a rag, praying to God, that he will survive the coming day."

Bulgarian teenagers are often accused of arrogance, and of a lack of interest in political affairs, because they are too stoned to focus. The truth is that the Bulgarian youth are in fact very aware of what is going on in the world. And they are the ones who in time will shape events on a world scale. They are the future and no one can deny that.