"He repeated Kipling's words: 'East is east, and west is west.' ... Here things are different; the past is as alive as the present age."
("Schah-in-Schah", R.Kapuściński)
How does life in foreign countries differ from our European reality? Is it easy to understand foreign modes of action and social reactions?
Maria Fellner - 03.01.2020 @ 19:29
Do we have roots instead of feet?
by Marianna Gawron, VIII LO Kraków/Poland
Some people eat fast foods every day, and they lead a life at top speed. Some walk five kilometres a day to get water from the nearest well. There are people who, despite scorching weather, work from dawn to dusk only to ensure their multigenerational family has something to eat; others prefer living a life on their own, independent of anyone. The world is a fascinating combination of various cultures, which differ from one another in every possible way.
Having in mind the historical, linguistic and above all the territorial bonds, which have tied the nations of Europe for aeons, one could say that they created a unique culture, which we call the European culture. The civilization is based on three pillars, the Greek, Roman, and Christian heritage. This unity in cultural, literary and philosophical currents means that when leaving our continent, we can experience a kind of a cultural shock. Not everyone in Africa has access to electricity, not everyone in Asia has the opportunity to be educated. Every man struggles with their own problems and deals with them in a different way.
It is also not possible for western systems to be adopted unchanged in the East. Ryszard Kapuściński wrote about a similar situation in his book ‘Shah in Shah’: “East is East and West - West and these two worlds never meet. They do not meet and do not understand. Asia will reject any transplant from Europe like a foreign body. Europeans may be indignant but it won't change much.” The Shah tried to modernize his Asian world so that it would resemble Europe, but he couldn't think like a European, and that led him to be defeated in his attempt.
For an average European, who is not interested in cultural studies, it is impossible to fully understand other cultures. Traditions, customs or religions have already influenced the fate of nations so much that they have changed the morality, customs, and even people’s mentality. It should be remembered that this process took ages.
Therefore, is getting to know all these other cultures worth trying at all? Is there any sense in travelling, if we can't learn all the secrets of this world anyway? Saint Augustine once said that “the world is a book and those who do not travel, read only the first page.” It follows that those who do not enrich their lives with adventure, exploration, do not get to discover most of what the world offers to them. Travellers, in turn, gain a variety of new experiences and many other benefits.
Would Alice have discovered her magical world if she hadn’t dared to peek into the rabbit hole? Would the Pevensie siblings have been able to save the beauty-filled kingdom of Narnia if it hadn’t been for the curiosity that led them to go through the old wardrobe? The answer is ‘no’. They would never have discovered those worlds, but for the fact that they dared to try something new. They left their comfort zone and that event, as it turned out, completely changed their lives. They became enchanted by the world, brave and resourceful. They had so many adventures, which they wouldn’t have had the chance to live through, had they stayed at home.
The world is full of differences. But that's precisely why it's so incredibly interesting. Travelling! Experiencing! Here is a recipe for an exciting life. I want to end with a very apt, in my opinion, quote by the American writer Rachel Wolchin: "If our destiny were to be in one place, we would have roots instead of feet."
Marianna Gawron 03.03.2020 @ 22:17
You nailed it Marianna! I loved your article! The quote “roots instead of feet” lead me to realize that our whole world is changing constantly and so are we! Well, to start with (I haven’t read Shah in Shah) I was ruminating about what the European identity is. We talked about this a lot in our History and Geography classes because we wanted to find reasons for the current European borders and asked ‘Where does Europe end?’ So we tried to define Europe and the closest we got was “well, we are indeed united in diversity” and we have certain values, although I miss some of them in daily politics and society.
The human history is a story of emigration and immigration and therefore we shouldn’t see everything so fixed. You are right, one can never fully understand another culture, but what is with my own? I wouldn’t even say I understand the Austrian culture (whoever defined that) because my parents immigrated to Austria twenty years ago and so they added their culture to the Austrian one and then again some of my grandparents came from the Czech Republic and they brought some of their traditions and customs. And, in my class alone we are students from 5 nationalities.
What I want to say is nothing stands still, so we shouldn’t as well. We should learn from other cultures, take whatever we like and add it to our own values, traditions and customs. All those experiences make us who we are. And this is great! So, let’s take those feet and travel, talk with people, be open-minded and live in our always changing world!
I’m having a hard time trying to fit in a book I’ve read, which would support my point. So, here it is a little bit off topic: I was standing in front of my bookshelf noticing, like you, that almost none of my books would’ve been interesting, if the characters had said “yeah, I think I’ll stay at home, that’s much more comfortable”.
Although there are so many, I’d like to mention “Die Seiten der Welt” by Kai Meyer, whose trilogy is not only beautiful but also addresses many interesting and current topics in a world made for booklovers. It is a story about taking the risks and standing up for your opinions even though you know it is dangerous. It is about different cultures findings ways to get along with each other. It is about making first steps into the unknown. And, not to forget, it is about books and seeing them in a very philosophical way. All in all, if you are stuck in quarantine and cannot explore the world physically take a book like that and let your mind wander!
Victoria Zawadil - 09.04.2020 @ 12:58
Hi Marianna! I really liked your article, especially the part about the importance of travel and experiencing different cultures and traditions. I found the article very well written and interesting. This text's use of quotes and idioms made it a very fun read. However, it doesn't take into consideration the effect travelling has on the climate, for example, or even that not everybody can afford it. I agree that experiencing different things is important but I thought that was worth mentioning. A very good text!
Beata Ernstig - 15.05.2020 @ 12:44
Hey Marianna! I loved your article! It is well written and very interesting. The quotes fit perfectly well to the text. The quote from Saint Augustine “The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only the first page" ensures me to keep going and experience the world. There are so many things to see, it would be a waste to miss them out. In History class we learnt about what makes a nation: the people, who have the same language, place to live on and tradition. Nowadays, when someone grows up, it is common to move to another country and begin a new life there, adjusting to the culture and everything. In my opinion our nation, our culture is what we think it is. If you are living for example in Germany but you think you're French, then you are French. If you think you're both then you belong to both nations. As time passes, the borders between European countries, nations are going to vanish. I encourage everybody to be adventurous and see the world, find your place, but never forget where you are coming from.
Gréta Vízkeleti - 31.05.2020 @ 20:13