Journal 44 – About Translators Szymborska’s Poem

You are right; it is very important who translate a literary work. In Szymborska’s case, they were very competent translators. The poem The Century’s Decline was translated by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh.
Stanislaw Baranczak, 60, is a poet, translator, literary critic, essayist, scholar and editor. He earned his Ph.D. and lectured at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland. Since 1981, Baranczak has lectured on Polish literature at Harvard University.
Stanislaw Baranczak began his career in the communist period in Poland, and he combined literary work with scholarship and politics. He was Polish dissident in those times. Recently, Baranczak is the most famous translator of Polish poetry into English and English poetry into Polish.
Clare Cavanagh is professor of Slavic Studies at Northwestern University. She is also a translator. Cavanagh has published in The New York Times, Book Review, and other periodicals. She has received grant for her work on Polish and Russian poetry. She concurrently works on Czeslaw Milosz’s A Biography.
Czeslaw Milosz (1911-2004), was an American-Polish poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1980. Czeslaw Milosz left Poland in 1950s in protest against Communism. He arrived in the United States of America in 1960. He became professor of Slavic languages and literature at the University of California at Berkeley.

Journal 43 – The Century’s Decline by Wislawa Szymborska

Our twentieth century was going to improve on the others.
I will never prove it now,
now that its years are numbered,
its gait is shaky,
its breath is short.

Too many things have happened
that weren’t supposed to happen,
and what was supposed to come about
has not.

Happiness and spring, among other things,
were supposed to be getting closer.

Fear was expected to leave the mountains and the valleys.
Truth was supposed to hit home
before a lie.

A couple of problems weren’t going
to come up anymore:
hunger, for example,
and war, and so forth.

There was going to be respect
for helpless people’s helplessness,
trust, that kind of stuff.

Anyone who planned to enjoy the world
is now faced
with a hopeless task.

Stupidity isn’t funny.
Wisdom isn’t gay.
Hope
isn’t that young girl anymore,
et cetera, alas.

God was finally going to believe
in a man both good and strong,
but good and strong
are still two different men.

“How should we live?” someone asked me in a letter.
I had meant to ask him
the same question.

Again, and as ever,
as may be seen above,
the most pressing questions
are naïve ones.

Journal 42 – Wislawa Szymborska, the famous Polish poet

Wislawa Szymborska, 83, the Polish poet, won the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature and numerous other awards. She is generally considered the most popular living Polish poet. Szymborska’s compact poems often conjure large existential puzzles. Her style is marked by intellectual introspection. Also, Szymborska explored Communist totalitarianism. She has not published more than 250 poems. As a person, she is very humbly and shy.
In the next journal I will send you one Szymborska’s poem which is related to topic of my journals - Twentieth Century.

Journal 41 – The Cruel Twentieth Century

The twentieth century was the cruelest period in the human history. During both world wars, World War I and World War II, were killed several dozens millions people. It was estimated that the same number of people could have died because of governmental repressions against its own citizens.
Two of them most known examples of these kinds of repression are Stalin’s Soviet Union and Pol-Pota’s Cambodia.
Unfortunately, prognosis for XXI century isn’t optimistic. Some present conflicts have a source in the previous century, when the decolonization process began.

Journal 40 - My Thanksgiving

I celebrated Thanksgiving Day with my family, who consists of my wife, Katherine, my daughter-in-law, Betty, two sons, George and Bogdan and me. My name is Stefan.
Betty and George bought a big turkey and they prepared and roasted it. Katherine prepared stuffing, vegetable salad and cooked a red borsch. Bogdan and I helped her.
My family gathered at the table at Betty and Gorge’s apartment. We were eating Thanksgiving meal and discussing about daily problems. Everyone had a good time. The next holiday, it will be Christmas.

Journal 39 – Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is on of the most popular holidays in the United States and Canada. In Canada this holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October.
Americans usually spend this holiday with their families. On Thanksgiving Day, families and friends gather for a large meal which usually includes the traditional turkey. In this year Americans consumed about 46 million turkeys.
Thanksgiving Holiday has own history. New York State had adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom in 1817.

Journal 38 – President J.F. Kennedy Was Assassinated 43 Years Ago

Today is Wednesday, November 22, the 326th day of 2006. John Kennedy, the 35th American president, was assassinated on November 22, 1963. He passed away at 1:00 P.M. without regaining consciousness. He rode in motorcade in Dallas, Texas.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the youngest man elected the president. This only the American president with Roman Catholic roots during his Inaugural Address expressed memorable words, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”.

Journal 37 – Where there is will, there is a way

In Poland, my neighbors’ daughter wasn’t too able. She graduated from 2-years College in nursing. She wasn’t happy. She saw, during the training, that the nurses aren’t treating by doctors well. It was in the particular hospital, of course.
She decided she have to become a medicine doctor. She had a high motivation to achieve her goal.
She failed three times the entrance test to the medical universities. Next, she passed this kind of test to the Veterinary Department at the University of Agriculture.
Finally, after 2 years, she passed the entrance test to the Medical University. After 6 years, she became a doctor. It is a good for her, but I am not sure it is good for the patients, too.
It happened in Poland. I don’t know if it could have happened in the USA.

Journal 36 – Emotional Intelligence

David Goleman, 60, is the professor in Harvard University. He is an editor of the periodical “Psychology Today” and collaborates with “New York Times” where he publishes articles in psychology and philosophy. Dr. Goleman has written a book entitled Emotional Intelligence, which was the international best-seller a few years ago (the first edition in 1995). Goleman’s main idea is that success in the human life depends not only on intellect (mind, intelligence), but on our skills to govern our emotions, too.
Author challenges previous opinions about status of intelligence, trying defining what it means to be capable. Dr. Goleman considers how it is possible, that often very good students to become average employees, later. Also, sometimes the capable people are going through their lives with big difficulties.
It can seem strange that intelligence doesn’t play the most important role in human life. But Goleman’s researches showed that it is possible.
Professor D. Goleman shows that in human life success is determined not by “traditional intelligence” but “emotional intelligence”. “Emotional intelligence” is the strongest indicator of human success. D. Goleman defines emotional intelligence in terms of self-awareness, altruism, personal motivation, empathy, and the ability to love and be loved by friends, partners, and family members.
I am convinced, that Goleman’s book should be a mandatory reading for not only teachers, but for all these who want to help children in their growing.

Journal 35 – Pope Benedict XVI Will Visit Turkey

Pope Benedict XVI will travel to Turkey. Pope’s visit will last from November 28 to December 1, 2006. The pope was invited by Bartholomew I who is the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Pope Benedict XVI will participate in the feast day services in the Church of Constantinople. This will be the first official visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate a pope of Rome in over 1000 years.
Bartholomew I, 66, has his headquarters in Istanbul once ancient Constantinople. He is the well-educated clergy and speaks a few languages: Latin, Greek, Turkish, French, English, Italian and German.
Turkey is a Muslim country. Authorities expect protests against the pope. The pope angered Muslims by a speech he made in September in Germany. His Holiness quoted a Byzantine emperor’s remarks about Islam and violence.
Benedict XVI is a professor of theology and the well-known Catholic intellectualist.
Pope’s visit has political aspect, too. Pope Benedict XVI will also meet with Turkey’s president and the deputy premier. Turkey is aspiring to be a member European Union. Possible protests could cause problems for Turkey ahead of a critical EU summit in mid-December. In this summit the EU leaders will judge Ankara’s progress for membership.

Journal 34 – Did Gustaw Husak convert to Christianity?

Gustaw Husak, well-know in the Communist world politician, was the first secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1968 to 1989. He took power during the Soviet intervention in 1968 which is known as Prague Spring.
G. Husak on the death-bed, 1991, confessed his sins and received Holy Communion. Husak’s confessor was Archbishop Jan Sokol. It was shock for the Czech Communists. They couldn’t believe in their comrade behavior. The Czech daily newspaper “Rude Pravo” recognizes this event as mystification.

Journal 33 – Did Edward Gierek convert to Catholicism?

Edward Gierek (1913-2001), was first secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party from 1970 to 1980. It was the most powerful position in Poland in those times. The Communist Party’s Central Committee dismissed him from office in 1980, after thousands of Poles went on strike and demanded economic and political reforms. I 1981, Edward Gierek was expelled from the Communist Party. E. Gierek was a well-educated person. He spoke French fluently.
Poles are recollecting Gierek’s period as one of the best in Polish postwar history. E. Gierek visited many Western countries, and the Soviet comrades weren’t content with this reason.
Gierek passed away at the age of 88 because of dusty disease of lungs. He worked during a few years as minor in France before World War II.
After Gierek’s death, his son, Professor Adam Gierek, asked a local priest to conduct the Catholic funeral. It was a big surprise for the clergy and the most Poles.
The spokesman of the diocesan bishop commented, that if a person was baptized, don’t have any obstacles against a Catholic funeral. The official added, that Edward Gierek, who was a wide-known person in Poland, during his long life didn’t disturb divine rules.
I recollected my mother in this occasion. She was very honest and soft-hearted the country woman; she had common sense. My dearest mother often repeated me, “Stefan, remember that in our country all people believe in God, but not all have possibility to attend church”. She added, “I am convinced that Edward Gierek, the highest communist party official, believes in God, too”. My mother passed away over 20 years ago, but her opinion came true only after Gierek’s death.
A man cannot be an atheist and believer concurrently. But is a different possibility: a human being can be hypocrite. One who never lived under the Communist rule cannot understand that it isn’t a simple problem.

32 – Religion Is Present in Our Daily Life

Beliefs and religious practices belong to important and common phenomenon of individual and collective human life. Daily observations people living in the beginning of XXI century don’t confirm skeptics foresee that religion will disappear from society life. The theory didn’t come true, that world richer and better educated people becomes less religious. On the contrary, people becoming richer and better educated don’t abandon religion.
The United States, the most advanced civilization area in the world, is in the same time a country of many religions and churches. According to statistics over 90% Americans believe in God and life after-life.
The former Communist countries, in Middle and Eastern Europe, have kept their religions though many adversities. We should remember that fight against religion was one of the most important ideological goals in these states.
The temporary world proved that Mark’s argument,“ Religion is the opium of the people”, is mistaken. I am convinced that human being couldn’t exist without a permanent set of values. If we take out of the man faith in God, we can give him anything in this place.

Journal 31 – Does America rule the world?

Niall Ferguson, 41, is one of the most remarkable professors of Harvard and Oxford Universities in England. He considers that in the second half of the twentieth century two empires, the USA and the Soviet Union, watched the global order. When the Soviet Union collapsed, 1991, the USA has taken off from its duties. Right now, the came into existence a big problem because the world is going to chaos.
Dr. Fergusson considers that America is a colossus which has a real economic and military power. But America doesn’t put its potential into practice. Americans prefer to consume their goods, than to rule the world. America is the first power in the world history, which doesn’t want to act its own duties through there exists such necessity.
It is a paradoxical situation, because the world persuades America in order to not fulfill its role. The American participation in the world global product was 10% in 1980; it reached 30% in 2000. An American global product is 8 times bigger than Chinese and 30 times bigger than Russian.
I only presented Ferguson’s point of view regarding an American role in the contemporary world. I think that Ferguson is right. A agree with him that America doesn’t rule the world, but I believe that it helps one.
Prof. Niall Ferguson expressed his opinion in the interview a Polish journalist. The interview was published in the Polish weekly “Polityka” (August, 2005). Here, I expressed only the main ideas from Ferguson’s interview. I am interested in learning the author’s outlooks more deeply. I will encourage my friends to do it, too.

Journal 30 – Poles are still learning democracy

Poland became the really independent country only in 1989. Poles owe their freedom a bloodless revolution, which the trade union “Solidarity” generated in 1980.
On November 12, 2006, Poles passed its next test in democracy. They selected in general elections local mayors, presidents, and members of the Sejmik. The Sejmik is of the region council; it is literally “Little Parliament”. Its term lasts for 4 years, only. The Sejmik consist of 30 councilors. The sessions of the Sejmik called by the chairperson at least once every three months.
The main tasks of the Sejmik include: approval of the regional development strategy, control over the board of the region, definition of principles governing awarding grants from the region budget.
My explanation for many Americans can seem strange. However, they should take into account that the Polish democracy is very young and fragile if it compare with American one.

Journal 29 – The Earth - a Global Village

The Earth is a global village because in our days we can connect with each other by the internet, phone, fax and others convenient technology.
By computer we can connect with different areas in the world. The Internet allows us to write and send news in a few seconds.
The telephone allows us to keep in touch with company, members of our family and friends. Now, cellular phones are very popular.
The fax is used by companies and variety offices. It allows sending many different documents at any time and to any place in the world.
The progress of technology created by internet, phone and fax save time and money.

Journal 28 – Why the Polish minister kidnapped mountaineer’s wife?


I would like to tell you about the extraordinary murder which took place a few decades ago in Poland and its consequences

The Polish minister of Domestic Affairs, Bronislaw Pieracki, was assassinated on June 15, 1934. He was entering to his office, which was located in the center of Warsaw. The Polish authorities accused the political opponents of that murder. Wherefore, the government organized a special concentration camp, Bereza Kartuska, where many opponents were exiled. The alleged killer was never proven guilty in court.

In 1969, in a small Argentinean village, was dying a tall strong mountaineer; the member of the local Polish community. He delivered the priest, in his parish, a stickled envelope including a special note. He reserved that it can be open only after his death.

In accordance with dead man will, the priest read mountaineer’s letter after his funeral. The Polish man wrote, “I killed the minister Pieracki 35 years ago and I am not sorry about that even on the death-bed”.

Additionally, one lady remembered her visit in the house of the dead man. She said, that mountaineer showed her a beautiful lady in the picture on the wall and stated, “It is my lowest wife who minister Pieracki kidnapped”.

At that moment, this story becomes a little spicy. Minister Pieracki at the age of 39 was still single. He was wounded in the abdomen during World War I, and after it he was sexually unable.

Therefore, why the minister kidnapped mountaineer’s wife? One is certain, that minister’s affair, probably platonic love, had big political consequences.

Journal 27 – Death Penalty

The Iraqi cruel dictator, Saddam Hussein, was sentenced to death penalty by hanging on last Sunday. Death penalty, which is often called a capital punishment, is the highest legal punishment in the civilization world. This kind of punishment has many supporters and opponents. I am against the death penalty.
Each person has only one life which cannot be repeated. Death penalty is sometimes applied unfairly. It is too expensive. In the USA, I don’t know how is in different countries, is cheaper to contain a prisoner for life that it is to kill one. It is inhuman, because I stress economic aspect, but it is true. The death penalty isn’t a crime deterrent. For these, only a few reasons above-mentioned, capital punishment should be abolished.

Journal 26 – A man Who Was Protected by God

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936) was a famous Russian physiologist. He won the Nobel Prize in 1904 in physiology and medicine for research pertaining to the digestive system. But Pavlov is widely known above all for his experiments with dogs, which enabled him to describe classical conditioning.
Ivan Pavlov was born in the pop’s family. A pop is a priest in the Orthodox Church. Pavlov began his studies at the seminary, but he dropped it and enrolled in the University of St. Petersburg where he studied the natural science.
During my research, I have received that Pavlov was not only an outgoing scientist, but one of the first Soviet dissident, too. I have many evidences which can support this point of view. Below, I will quote three of them.
The first, Ivan Pavlov was awarded by the tsars a few times, but he never “flaunted” with his medals. Only after November Revolution, 1917, he purposely demonstrated his medals. It was too dangerous, but he didn’t care about it.
The second, in 1924, the sons of popes were expelled from Military Medical Academy in Leningrad (former and present St. Petersburg). In connection with it, Pavlov resigned his chair of physiology. He stated authorities of the academy, “I also am the son of a priest, and if you expel the others I will go to”.
The third, at those times, the Soviet citizens couldn’t have opportunity travel abroad. Ivan Pavlov visited the United States twice (1923, 1929). When he came back his fatherland after the first trip to the USA, he publicly stated that basis for international Marxism was false. Additionally, he finished his statement with the sarcastic remark, “For this kind of social experiment that you are making, I would not sacrifice a frog’s hind legs”.
It is difficult to explain how these kinds of events could be possibly at those times. It is true, that Pavlov was the well-known scientist in the world. Otherwise, he was the first Russian citizen who won the Nobel Prize. But on the other hand, the Communist authorities didn’t save anybody. After Lenin’s death, 1924, Joseph Stalin took power and he was crueler than his predecessor. Stalin’s regime was craftily killing opponents or sending them to Siberia.
I think that Ivan Pavlov was protected by God in who he believed.

Journal 25 – Science and religion

I think that religion does not have to be in conflict in the science. Orzechowski’s interview, about which I wrote my previous journal, regarding the theory of evolution, generated a broad discussion in Poland.
Rev. Archbishop Prof. Joseph Zycinski, a well-known Polish Catholic intellectualist, stated, that Darwin’s theory isn’t contradictory with the Christian teaching that God created the world.
A Russian physiologist, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, is widely known because he, as the first scientist, described the phenomenon broadly known as classical conditioning (in his experiments with dogs).
Pavlov was a very religious man and often prayed in his Orthodox church (cerkow). It was curious because the scientist lived in the cruel period of the Communist rule in the Soviet Union.
I am convinced that all American high school alumni heard about Pavlov’s Dog. Ivan Pavlov had a very rich personality and turbulent life. I would like to devote him my next journal.