‘HOW ARE YOU?’ – GREAT! I AM POLISH

ANTONI SZYMAŃSKI

For years efforts have been made to promote Poland abroad. For this purpose cyclical actions and single ventures are carried out. Initiators are state institutions, media, self-governing authorities, as well as private subjects

We remember promotion of the emblem ‘Now Poland’, whereas, recently the action ‘Good because Polish’ focused on promoting Polish products. Today what is worth noting is the initiative called Polish National Foundation. This venture of companies of the State Treasury which undertook building a positive image of our country abroad, as its mission and purpose.

A real potential of Poland

It has already happened – any skeptic might say. However, the idea seems to diverge conceptually from previous initiatives of this type. The announced purpose of creators is not creating with marketing techniques (logo, slogans, advertising spots) of a ‘warmed’ image of our country. The essence is extracting and showing the real potential of Poland.

Creators of the initiative mean not building a myth so much as the truth, the change of widely-spread harming judgments, breaking thinking stereotypes harming the good name of Poland. These stereotypes cause decreasing trust among investors, which, as we know, results in the state of economy. The decision about engagement in the foundation of companies of the State Treasury gains vital justification from this point of view.

Telling the truth about one’s potential is not so easy for a Pole. It seems that in our customs the extreme modesty is rooted. Admitting to strong points is considered by us as a sign of pride and bragging. When asked how he is doing, a Pole often opens a bag with complaints. The Polish National Foundation wants to aim at changing this mentality.

From zero to success

Poles are considered by foreigners as a family nation, warm-hearted and hospitable. Maybe at the first sight, this image does not seem attractive in business-like or political way. However, family entails such values as: faithfulness, friendship, respect, keeping promises, honesty. Whereas the values result in stability and trust in business. It is proved by Polish family companies, which, beginning with the proverbial zero, achieved successes and spread their products and services on the biggest world markets. Getting the closest people engaged in business, they prove that what is the most important in economy are relationships. They cannot be replaced by any soulless procedures or global mechanisms. Family companies maintain vitality and support innovation, as decisions are made quickly and bravely there, without burdening anyone with corporative bureaucracy. Family relations in business also stands on guard of individuality and protects from globalizing assimilation everything and everybody to one’s business. In my opinion another aspect of the pro-family attitude of Poland and Poles, suitable to be presented by wise promotion, is a new social policy, called as 500+. The fact that we respect ourselves, gives us right to expect respect from others.

In Poland emotional relation with family is connected with respect to cultural tradition, faith and conservative customs. Culture respecting its own tradition is predictable and safe culture. In a situation when in highly-developed countries the sense of stability is decreasing, there appears loosening of moral norms and customs, when we see growing terrorist threat and forced tolerating mass migrations – Poland is the asylum of safety to some extent. This is the order based not so much on police-legal pressure, or on economic welfare, but on respect to traditional values, which is achieved, among the others, thanks to family upbringing.

A catalogue of strong points of Poland could be built and presented in details. One thing is certain: we will not attract others to ourselves, if we are trying to copy them or flatter them. Paradoxically, the more we see self-acceptance in ourselves and courage to be ourselves, the more interesting we become. When somebody will ask us: ‘how are you’, we should not reveal him a chain of our failures. We should think about what we managed to do, or we might boast about something abroad…

AA

„Niedziela” 42/2016

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl