When Do We Start Getting Old
You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing. George Bernard Shaw While in Poland, I had a close friend, Andrzej. His father was a barber and used to cut my hair. When I was in the first grade, my friend was in fourth. We used to walk to […]
…And Why Their Parents Don’t
In my previous post, I described scenarios in which young people are leaving the countries of their birth. Now is the time to contrast the older generation. During my stay in the United States, I was carefully watching the life of my parents in Poland. We sent letters as often as we could. In the […]
Why Young People are Leaving the Country of Their Parents
Italy: The Nation That crushes Its Young. (NYT, Oct 30, 2013) Italy Breaks Your Heart. (NYT, Oct 26, 2013) These two recent articles published in the New York Times captured my attention. They both comment on the exodus of Italian young people, particularly males, and their travel to France, England and for more lucky ones […]
The Age of Highest Achievements
It is fair to say, that coming to my age, most of the people look back and contemplate what was the highest achievement of their life, what was they being most proud of. Was it a professional career? Family live? Athletic accomplishments? Maybe a significant discovery? Or social connections? And was it a one-time event […]
About Chrysanthemums, and the Importance of Symbols
Yesterday, Bonnie brought home two bunches of flowers. One was her favorite sunflowers. The other flowers were still in green buds, not opened yet. I asked what they were, she said “chrysanthemums”. I said “what?” , she repeated, “Chrysanthemums, why do you ask?”. So I told her about our tradition. Every year, on 1st of […]
How to Love Your Country
I love Italy! I am fascinated by its roots, history, culture and customs. The landscape is unique and the people very friendly. I took Latin at school and recently learned Italian. Each time I travel there, the experience is unforgettable. Most people don’t know how strong ties between Poland and Italy are. Everything started […]
“The Paradox of Choice” on TED is an Example of How to Control Your Mind.
A few days ago, Chris sent me a link to Barry Schwartz’s lecture on TED…”Take a look, very provocative” he said. And it was. The speaker was talking about the negative effects of too many choices on human life. Too many choices increase paralysis and decrease satisfaction. Having too many choices contributes to depression. The […]
What Do We Do for Living; How Money Flows in the Society
Some men wrest a living from nature with their hands; this is called work. Some men wrest a living from those who wrest a living from nature with their hands: this is called trade. Some men wrest a living from those who wrest a living from those who wrest a living from nature and with […]
