History /
POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]
A French person or a Spanish one really couldn't give a **** about you
Irrelevant.
Belonging to a certain civilisation is not about somebody else giving or not giving a **** about it. It's about a set of rules and a system of values. It's about things like approach to individual freedom, human rights and functioning of state institutions (corruption, rule of law etc.). Poland, since middle ages, remained under the influence of Latin civilization - there was a time when you could travel throughout Poland and communicate with people in Latin (not only with noblemen but also with merchants, artisans and even some peasants). Until partitions Latin was an official tongue in Poland (język urzędowy). The role of catholic church was definitely substantial in that but also dynastic ties with France and Italy, so with time it shaped our culture the way it did. It wasn't for nothing that Stalin called Poland "a Latin thorn in a healthy Slavic body". :)
There has always been this awareness of our civilisational roots among educated classes; that's why any occupant who wanted to root out Polishness always had to strike against Polish intelligentsia (and they did - with a vengence!). During partitions we resisted the attempts at both germanization and russification precisely because we belonged to a different civilisation than either of our oppressors.
These days, unfortunately, Polish intelligentsia is a dying out species. Formal education has become devalued and universities no longer reproduce intelligentsia as a class - they became places where peasants and city dwellers (so, basically, peasants in 2nd or 3rd generation ;)) learn interesting things and get their diplomas and degrees to the joy of their grandparents who didn't have such opportunity. I don't have anything against it, mind you, peasant education is in general a good thing.
Also, what you wrote about there not being a thread of understanding between Poles, the French or Italians is not entirely true. When I was younger I used to travel a lot, thanks to my father who is a generous man, and whenever I was in France or Italy I found it exceedingly easy to mingle and communicate with educated people, and found that we share very similar values and approach to life. But of course you are right that it's different with peasants. So, in your sentence that I quoted, if we replaced "person" with "peasant" or "average citizen", I would tend to agree. And of course you are quite right that a Polish peasant, abroad or at home, is more likely to find this thread of understanding with a Russian peasant with whom he shares a similar language as well as culinary and artistic tastes. :)
Russians will always treat you with genuine brotherly curiosity
Which we indeed appreciate and return the genuine brotherly curiosity, albeit with a certain degree of caution.
