Welcome to another episode of The Partisan.
First, some housekeeping. I’ll be leaving Poland this week for the United States. My considerable talents are needed elsewhere and I couldn’t be happier to throw myself at the biggest fire I can find.
That said, I would be remiss if I didn’t bookend my time here with an occasional musing on what I’ve learned here.
Three things stand out to me: Poland reminds me a lot of where I grew up in Northeast Ohio, the people aren’t all that different from people I’ve met anywhere else in the world, and most importantly there’s hope for the future.
Hope is what I’d like to touch on now.
Of course, in the post-Obama world it might seem a little naive to think hope has value anymore. Hope and change, remember that? Wonder if the Obamas and their celebrity posse were thinking of that when they threw Barrack his birthday party.
Probably not. In any case, to hell with the whole lot.
For the average person like you and me - whether they’re from the far flung edges of the United States, Poland, or anywhere else - hope is what makes us human. It’s what keeps us in the game, keeps us moving ahead, and keeps us leaving a better world for those that come after.
I daresay we can’t help but hope. Why? Defiance. No matter what happens we have the capacity to stand up, take stock, and choose differently. Maybe it ends well for us. Maybe it doesn’t. In any case, it’s better to die on your feet true to what you are then down in the dirt like a coward.
In the end, that’s the only way your life will speak to the ages.
It’s really that simple, folks. No matter how bad it gets, don’t stop. You’ll be OK. Your children will be OK. The world, in the end, will be OK.
Doubt it? Consider this Polish saying, “Hope is the mother of all fools.” We’re all children of our time, which makes it our mother.
Considering our current epoch, it’s good to be a fool, wouldn’t you say?
I place my hope in perseverance. Americans generally place their hope in delusion, which makes them easy targets. I have faith and hope in myself and my loved ones, but I’ve lost faith in the United States.