Who is right?

Poland, the country I re-learned to love and learned to be proud of is rapidly changing. It worries me a lot. People sympathies are polarized. Some support the new government some dislike it. There is a lot of hatred in people against the others waiting to erupt. One may say that views are formed by listening to the wrong radio and reading wrong newspapers. The question that I started to ask myself – is there here a right and wrong at all? The philosophical weight of this question is overwhelming and I do not intend to try to answer it.

There are two things that brought me to this point of reflection. Recently, I met a Polish person, who I do not know well. We have met each other two or three times visiting an old friend of mine. In the first contacts, the lady was nice and we seemed to have similar background and things in common. We had not touched political subjects until very recently and then I realized that our views belong to two opposing ends of the political spectrum. My first reaction was a surprise that a nice person may think that way. I knew that more than half of Polish population does not think the same way as I do, but I thought…maybe I did not think at all? Now I do and I am confused. Who says I am right? There are so many things that I am not aware of, there are so many lies on both sides and I may be totally blinded by my preconceived ideas. Or is it her who is wrong? Or maybe we both are wrong?

There is a lot of talk about hate being expressed by supporters of the current government. And I hate that! This is the point; I carry hate in me as well. In the recent conversation with the lady she asked a rhetorical question: but who reads such rubbish newspapers??? My answer was – I do.  This felt like a point for me in our talk which was fast becoming a verbal duel.

I do not like behaviour of the current president and in the conversation I used an unpleasant derogatory word to describe him. After reflection, I classified it s a negative point for me. This time I was an unkind attacker in spite of me disapproving of similar behaviour by the other side.

I listened to a very talented, passionate and controversial Polish singer Maria Peszek. Her new song Modern Holocaust gives a metaphor for hatred - guns under beds of peaceful people. Hatred kills and sometimes this is not only a metaphor. Since I write my blog in English there is little point to include a song in Polish, it will not move my potential readers as it moved me. After a little fight with myself, I decided to indulge myself by including it anyhow. The song is full of foul language, and is sung in a rather delicate voice by a forty year old woman who is really a girl. This is a protest song, protest against hatred and its consequences, a powerful warning for Poles. It made me reflect, look at myself and gave me a personal warning.

                                                 

Wow, that was a serious one. 

And I will continue in the same, serious  vein after reading the article recommended by Ramana. It is a great article, very well rounded and I would recommend it to my readers.

 It has been difficult for me to realize that I must be a part of “the elite that is cut off from reality” like Civic Platform, the party I have been supporting. Having read the article, and getting the message of need to remove the hardship suffered by the big part of Polish population loud and clear, I am still against ruling the country by hatred and revenge.  There are parts of the article related to miners and shipyard workers that are moving and my whole being protests against it, but the economical changes age going through the world and there is no way to stop it. Professions disappear as there is no need for certain work any more, or the work is outsourced to other countries. Gdansk shipyard was not able to meet the current economical standards, so people lost jobs. There is no demand on Polish coal, so the miners lost jobs. This is very sad or even tragic, but promising status quo is irresponsible and untrue. Solutions need to be different.

I agree that Civic Platform committed many sins in the eight years of ruling the country. I am one of the people who are disillusioned and disappointed. Yet, many of my fellow Poles do not even realize what they could lose by having voted the new government into power.

I definitely broadened my perspective in the recent days, and sadly I do not see any solution.  Will a new good wind of change come in?