Jul 5, 2008

If you feel that you have no control over your life...

It all makes sense, of course.

Kazik is a nationalist, full of anger and feelings of having been cheated – the nation betrayed, etc.; keeps talking about nebulous “them” who plot everything, engineering events the way they come to pass; things like selling state industries to foreigners for pennies on the dollar; which is, of course, bad.

Zdzis’ talk is a lot more “western”. He speaks out against the church and the nationalists, wants to know how the government spends his money and why, and doesn’t care about settling of scores or minorities. He does not espy dangerous cliques who manage things from behind the scenes to his disadvantage but objects to subsidizing failing Polish industries with his own money. What do I care that they are Poles?, he asks. They can’t make it? Well, too bad. No one will bail me out, if I go belly up. Why should I bail them?

The reason for the difference between the two men is economic: Zdzis does not espy a shadowy clique plotting against him, or the nation, because he is successful. His business is doing well and his life style is more than comfortable. He does not feel threatened; he does not need to deal with feelings of failure.

With Kazik it is of course the opposite. The worse we do, the stronger the temptation to blame shadowy, nefarious doings of others.

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