Nothing is ever black and white like there is never one side to the story.
I would lie if I say I am not aware of the wave of criticism Poles face every day. On the other hand, I would not want to hide the fact that in many ways, they only have themselves to blame. I personally have a very strong sense of national identity and would always stand by Poles, no matter what. Nevertheless, there are things that are needed to be told in order to do justice to both sides.
I would lie if I say I am not aware of the wave of criticism Poles face every day. On the other hand, I would not want to hide the fact that in many ways, they only have themselves to blame. I personally have a very strong sense of national identity and would always stand by Poles, no matter what. Nevertheless, there are things that are needed to be told in order to do justice to both sides.
However
proud nation Poles are, they are continuously tortured by a
touch of inferiority in their lives. However, strong and adamant in their fight for
freedom, still they feel like they have to
prove their value over and over again. If you ever hear the Pole boasting about how glorious we are - this won't be arrogance that has no basis but a quiet plea for approval.
People say, you can
always identify a Pole on the streets of London or Chicago just by their facial
expression (read: a mournful look). And I am not talking here about the
look of the person who, having a lot on their mind, happened to tune out the
surrounding. There is definitely something concerning about
polish character that prevents them from living life to the fullest. It's commonly known, what's inside, reflects on the outside.
So, where does this "serious face" come from? ಠ_ಠ
1. Generally we spend far too much time thinking - "how do I look?", "would others criticize me for what I'm doing?", "what do others think about me? Oh, I really hope, it's nothing bad!". This genuine fear of rejection remains a formidable man-made obstacle to personal and collective growth. It's almost like we wouldn't dare to stand out from the crowd in case it triggers harsh criticism.
2. At times, we tend to be hugely judgmental completely depriving ourselves (or others) of right to make a single mistake. It is closely linked to, like it or not, jealousy and aversion to those who actually found courage to make success.
3. A focus on what we have rather than who we are takes away a lot of joy from our lives
4. In many ways we really care what foreigners think of us. And any comment made about us, rude or not, we take too seriously.
Hold on horses everyone! It's not the end of the story; I am only half way though!lol Believe it or not, it's really not as bad as it looks... We know our "cardinal sins". Let's accept, have interest in finding out what part of our history determined them & find a cure.
So, where does this "serious face" come from? ಠ_ಠ
1. Generally we spend far too much time thinking - "how do I look?", "would others criticize me for what I'm doing?", "what do others think about me? Oh, I really hope, it's nothing bad!". This genuine fear of rejection remains a formidable man-made obstacle to personal and collective growth. It's almost like we wouldn't dare to stand out from the crowd in case it triggers harsh criticism.
2. At times, we tend to be hugely judgmental completely depriving ourselves (or others) of right to make a single mistake. It is closely linked to, like it or not, jealousy and aversion to those who actually found courage to make success.
3. A focus on what we have rather than who we are takes away a lot of joy from our lives
4. In many ways we really care what foreigners think of us. And any comment made about us, rude or not, we take too seriously.
Hold on horses everyone! It's not the end of the story; I am only half way though!lol Believe it or not, it's really not as bad as it looks... We know our "cardinal sins". Let's accept, have interest in finding out what part of our history determined them & find a cure.
Wonder what is the source of the trouble? I will continue in part II... Coming soon!
This is a very good post, and so are many others on your page. I cannot wait to see part II.
ReplyDeleteI understand, we Poles, should see our faces in British mirror. That’s great, but you write in English, so I wonder to whom all of it has been addressed? Many Poles won’t understand, others won’t be able to answer. Can we expect other series of articles in Polish about Brits and Americans? That would be really interesting and better balanced,
Other words FAIR.
.BTW, the picture above the text is great, and if I’m not mistaken it shows Dziekania Str in Old Warsaw.
Great job, lots of info on other subjects on you site.
Best regards. L.D.
Hi Elizabeth, thank you for your comment! It's good to hear you enjoy reading it! As to your question, you're absolutely right. I've already started working on creating a sister blog called "Everything Polish in Polish" where I publish selected articles from this blog translated into Polish, as I also realised many Polish would like to have a read through. They will be directly linked, so easy to follow.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started this blog, my intention was to tell Brits/other nations more about us & our country, although with time, I realised it'd be great for either Polish or foreigners to have voice! As to posts about Americans, I don't feel qualified enough to comment. I have never lived there. There will be posts about Brits though. PS. Well spotted! it's Warsaw, Blekitna Brama in Old Town to be precise:) I'd love to hear more comments and also hear what topics readers would like me to cover on the top of what I already have planned in my head :) Best regards
Hi, Mags, teraz rozumiem, ze Ty rowniez znasz jezyk polski, wiec pozwol, ze tych kilka slow bedzie wlasnie w tym jezyku. Bardzo dziekuje za odpowiedz i zawarte w niej wyjasnienia. Masz swietny pomysl na pokazanie piekna naszego kraju, wspanialosci kulinarnych, kulturalnych itd. Czytajc w Twoim blogu o naszych przywarach narodowych, czy tez polskich charakterach, nie mozna sie nie zgodzic z ktorymkolwiek zdaniem. My w miare dobrze wiemy, jacy jestesmy. Inne nacje maja swoje wady i slyszac o nich moze niektorym z nas zrobilo by sie lzej. Pragne tylko podkreslic, ze jako Polacy nie powinnismy raczej ulatwiac swiatu widzenia naszych "ujemnych plusow" (to cytat jednego z bylych polskich prezydentow). bo swiat to zrobi za nas duzo lepiej. Walczmy wiec z naszymi wadami a mowmy innym w roznych jezykach o naszych zaletach, ktorych przeciez wcale nam nie brakuje. Piszac to, nie mam na mysli wciaganie Cie w dalsza czasochlonna dyskusje na tym forum, bo Twoj czas moze byc znacznie lepiej spozytkowany. Z niecierpliwoscia oczekuje nastepnych odcinkow i mam pewnosc, ze tak dla mnie, jak i wielu Rodakow znajdzie sie tu duzo ciekawostek. Jeszcze raz dzieki za swietna prace, zycze powodzenia w rozpropagowaniu Polski na caly swiat w jak najkorzystniejszym swietle. Serdecznie Cie pozdrawiam. L.D.
DeleteWitam i dziekuje za komentarz:) Tak, znam j.polski. Urodzilam sie w Polsce i tam wlasnie mieszkalam przez pierwsze 23 lata swojego zycia. Bardzo mi dlatego zalezy na wypromowaniu Polski i Polakow, bo uwazam, ze jestesmy bardzo wartosciowym narodem a sama Polska jest miejscem niedocenianym przez wielu, w tym nas samych Polakow... Oczywiscie moglam nie pisac wpisu o naszych wadach lub pominac ten temat zupelnie, ale byla by to wtedy tylko polprawda o nas i niiczego by to w naszej swiadomosci nie zmienilo. Mysle, ze dobrze sie stanie jesli uswiadomimy sobie, ze mamy pewne wady (tak jak oczywiscie inne nacje, o tym rowniez bedzie na blogu), nastepnie pogrzebiemy troche w historii, zeby sie dowiedziec, ze duza ich czesc zostala uwarunkowana przez nasza trudna historie i ze latwo te minusy zamienic w plusy by stac sie szczesliwszym, bardziej otwartym na swiat narodem i z duma reprezentowac nasz kraj. Mam wielka nadzieje, ze wlasnie tak zdecydowana wiekszosc przyjmie ten wpis :) Mysle, ze poki co duza czesc wstydzi sie Polski... Trzeba powiedziec, ze mamy duzo do zaoferowania + duzy potencjal, potrzebna tylko determinacja:) Co do bloga, juz teraz przylaczylo sie do projektu bardzo wielu zdolnych Polakow (satyrykow, fotografow), mam nadzieje, ze to grono bedzie sie systematycznie powiekszac i nasz wspolny wklad wkrotce zmieni rzeczywistosc:) Juz wkrotce rusza blog po polsku (te same wybrane mini felietony, ale po polsku). I oczywiscie cala masa nowych tematow na blogu:) Jest wciaz tyle do opowiedzenia, juz sie nie moge doczekac kiedy sie podziele z Wami moimi obserwacjami! Ciekawa jestem Waszych opinii na te tematy. Moglabym mowic i mowic godzinami! Poki co polecajmy blog znajomym w kraju i za granica, niech trafia do najwiekszej liczby czytelnikow:) PS Jestesmy tez juz na facebooku. Dziekuje jeszcze raz za tak rzadka w tych czasach mozliwosc rozmowy i mam nadzieje, ze jeszcze nie raz podyskutujemy:) Pozdrawiam jak zawsze serdecznie! Gosia
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