#I consider emigration for the next few years cause education work and just simple desire to explore and stuff

[skania-cross]

A non-straight atheist and Polish patriot in one person aka a living proof that you may be in the middle (we need more people like that).

Ok, sorry or answering so late but I had an important exam today and I wasn’t actually expecting a question I’ll have to think about. The message is precious anyway and thank you for that. 

non-straight - well, my sexuality is my private thing. I believe in sexual freedom of an adult person and an equality regardless of whom one loves/has sex with, I suppose that’s what’s important.

Atheist - yes, that one’s true ^^

Polish patriot - aaand that one’s a tough one. There’s so many definitions of this word in a modern use and I actually did spend a fair amount of time even before that ask thinking about what I think it should be, whether I want to call myself that and how or if at all it goes with my ‘silesian patrotism’, ‘european patrotism’ and my rather cosmopolitical view of the world. I could write a few pages long, very bitter and a very personal essay about it and I still doubt I’d have a clear answer ;-; 

What I can tell you, I am middle in a sense, there was a time in Poland when you either were a complete nationalist or you hated Poland and everything’s connected to it and there was nothing in between. I think more and more people doesn’t like to go with any of those sides and I am one of them. Obviously, there’s not a single thing that I have in common with, let’s call it ‘PiS type of patrotism’. On the other hand, I think… Poland is a good country to live in. Like, simple as that, I really think I was way more lucky that I was born here than unlucky that I wasn’t born somewhere else. There are countries were an average standard of living is better but way more where it’s worse. Above all, I think I can more or less judge the actual situation in Poland without any pesonal influences. You can not agree with me on certain aspects but I think you can’t accuse me of trying to colorise stuff cause ‘national pride’ or other bullshit like that or on the other hand demonise just cause I’d personally expect something better. So for example as an atheist, I do recognise tons of too many influences church has on a state, I think conscience clause and the law forbiding hurting somebody’s religious feelings are unacceptable, the religion shouldn’t be in schools (although I already had a discussion here that the sitouation is not that bad as people make it out to be) and that cross in a parliment… well, I don’t really care that much, but it is personal pet peeve. On the other hand… god, guys, I’m not discriminated here because of being an atheist, let alone opressed (srsly… what the fuck?). And Poland is a secular country, come on. 

In that sense, I’m in a middle. Whether that’s enough to be a patriot… idk, I feel like that should be something more, you know? I think being a patroit should mean contributing extra to you community, in a sense - fellow country man. Stuff like organising free extra cirricular activities to kids from poorer faimilies to keep them ‘out of the streets’, leading some non-government organisation, or even such a tiny thing as promoting polish culture and/or history with some tumblr blog, stuff like that. To sacrifice something from yourself, be it your time or whatever else for the community, which here would be defined as Poland.I wish I was such a person, but I’m not, as of now. 

Last, but not least, and kind of… off topic but - I do actually think Polish patrotism is somewhat easy. I’m subscribed to a one ukrainian youtubes and she once openly stated she dislikes Ukraine. And I kinda understood her, if I were from a country that since 89 had a revolution after revolution and the life conditions there did not improve in a slightest, and in many ways probably deteriorated, and there’s literally zero perspectives for any positive change in a near future. If I were on a Euromaidan, or if I were a devouted supporter of it, and I probably would, and the thing I’d get in return was a war and subsequent mass-emigration… I think I’d hate my country too. What helps with Poland imo is that, after 89 we made it. People focus too much on the fact that we’re not on the level of Sweden, France or even Czech Republic, but we weren’t on the level of any of this country thirty years ago, we were on the level of Ukraine, we were around two times poorer than even also post-communist Hungary. Now we’re at the level or even slightly better of than Hungary and I think the amount of Ukrainians in Poland says for itself. You can’t held Poland accountable for what’s happened 1939-1989, but only for what happened here post 1989, and I think what has happened shows that polish society is not hopeless, on a contrary. As much as I am disappointed with probably every single thing that happened here since the last elections, I understand that a peroids of fucking up happen, even if the general direction of changes is upwards. Maybe I’m naive with that, but I still believe people just need those four years of change to realise it’s full of shit and then we’ll come back on a right track. We’ll have to make it up for those four years, but as my physic teachers said ‘we survived worse’ (honestly, i don’t know how many time I said this senetence in the reent years ;-;). If PiS pulls off Fidesz, then… well, a patriot is supposed to stay with their country in the times of need or sth like that, right? And I don’t know if I would. I think my personal feeling that we’re throwing every recent achievment into the dumster might be just too strong. 

Duh.

Also, idk if I still deserve the ‘we need more people like you’ compliment but… heck, I’m gonna take it. Next time don’t give it too fast >:)