Against the current, but not in vain

“Please note that in order to persuade people of all the nonsense they believe, it is not adequate to live to the age of Methuselah... Whoever came into the planet to truly enlighten him about the most crucial things, can talk of happiness if he lifts the skin intact.”

Arthur Schpenhauer

A late published book by prof. Stanisław Bielen entitled “Under the Current of the Call of the Dead”, is simply a collection of his articles which appeared mainly in the pages of “Polish Thought” and “The Science” but besides “Operations for the Law” and respective unpublished speeches.

They are not chronologically arranged, but are divided into parts which show the geopolitical situation in which Poland is located, the drama of the war in Ukraine and its consequences and yet the last 2 parts in which the author tries to realize and answer the question why the Polish imagination of the planet is so flawed and show them besides on the broader background of the civilizational regression, whose painful example is the situation in Polish universities. specified a arrangement makes the book a very coherent form and although it is not written as a separate work, the communicative is arranged into a logical series that goes from showing the context, describing the situation, to trying to explain it, and so reads it with curiosity besides the constant MP reader.

The planet of states according to Prof. Bielenia is simply a hierarchical world, a polyarchy in which, utilizing the language of sociology and social psychology, there is something in the form of "the order of pecking," a planet in which nevertheless small or no 1 would like it, contrary to the formal and explicitly declared principles, not all are equal and not all have the same rights. On the another hand, in the sketch of the painting sketched by the professor, the rule of indivisible security, expressed by the final act of the Conference on safety and Cooperation in Europe, signed in 1975 in Helsinki, where it was stated, among others, that the signatories "will not strengthen their safety at the expense of the safety of another countries". It was the violation of this rule after 1989 by military interventions, colorful revolutions and the permanent expansion of Western military structures to the borders of Russia that yet led to the Russian military reaction in Ukraine, first in Donbasa and in Crimea, and in February 2022 to an almost full-scale war continuing until today. Poland does not want to accept these rights or facts to consciousness, promoting the absurd and threatening atomic Armageddon thesis of the necessity of “war until victory”, “defeat Russia”, based on ridiculous “prophecies” Lech KaczyńskiIn which political absurdity and false judgement are mixed with hysterical but besides perfidious playing on national phobias.

Prof. Stanisław Bielen and author of the text Olaf Swolkień

Rusophobia and irrationally hateful relation to Russia and the Russians are devoted to many passages, but in the author's communicative they are part of a wider one, as Witkacy would have said, the "narrows of complexes", or psychointellectual structure, which, as Stanislaw Bielen writes, consists of "ignorance, mythomania and megalomania", in another passages, rightly points out that in addition to their knowing and therapy, a psychiatrist or a clinical scientist would be indicated for their knowing and therapy in addition to their basic cognition of political discipline and history. Because, as otherwise explained, the state and nation, which, in view of their position as a "tight territorial" in the border of civilization, could play a affirmative function for themselves and the region as a "shrewd mediator", like to service as an Anglo-Saxon diversionist, front wall, flanks, etc., in order to annoy and harm Russia, even at the expense of demeaning their own dignity in relations with neo-Bander Ukraine, economical disaster, about the threat of direct armed clash in their own territory, not to mention. How do we realize that, alternatively of investing in smart diplomacy, Poland prefers to spend hundreds of billions on pointless armaments?

Prof. Bielen besides shows Polish falsehood as he writes “democratic prometheism”, who, being the heir of 19th century Messianic prometeism, completely ignores the fact that the democratic facade is fiction today, and Western democracies are now ruled by corporations and banks from the back seat. He consistently cites the classics of elite explanation in this context Vilfredo Pareta and Gaetano Mosca Noting with sadness that most of their works were never even translated into Polish. Poland's megalomania is reflected in the choice of Russia ignoring the possible of both countries of the "competitive strategy" and the rule of "spectacular principality" alternatively of the example of Hungary and Turkey to conduct a multi-vector policy. specified a deviation with reality leads to a sad descent to the ground symbolized by crouching in front of the American president or pounding sticks on non-existent Polish victims of Ukrainian genocide in Volyn.

In accordance with Lech Mażewski Stanislaw Bielen points out that Poles are forced to accept an unreflexive absurd and harmful policy with the usage of "patriotic blackmail", in which arguments are replaced by either tacky morality or offensive epithets. The right general pride and ignorance makes specified manipulations susceptible in a society where individuals have lost their ability to discuss, but as is the case with mass people, they want to be right.

A summary of these bitter diagnoses is simply a description of the situation in Polish universities. It's most likely the most dramatic or tragic part of the book. The section entitled “The sadness of the university” is simply a description of the moral and intellectual decline of both the professorial and university authorities and students who complain about lecturers requiring reading books and are incapable to read longer texts themselves. These complaints are then utilized by the university collectives to exclude and harassment those scholars who, alternatively of declaring the existing formulas, insist on truth, logic and sound analysis of facts.

When I read the author's book, whose geopolitical and current assessments, as well as civilizational pessimism in my entirety, I constantly wondered what 1 might disagree with, due to the fact that discussion is what best extends our horizons and brings us closer to knowing the world.

For me, specified an interesting point of disagreement with the author is the evaluation of the Law and the wider "unified right" by many articles as a formation representing nationalism and the critical, but serious treatment of the opposition at the time and the current ruling formation as a affirmative alternative. In my opinion of the Law and Justice and the full formation which he represents, he always did everything to prevent and replace the Polish nationalism from being born or revived with a alternatively superficial mix of patriotic and godly slogans.. In this sense, he is the heir to thinking, as well as the Pilsudczyk style, including the blind worship of the infallible leader and the “fallen” prophet.

Of course, I do not want to bring nationalism to sound reasoning and political realism, due to the fact that specified can be present in various formations. Rather, I mean to look at politics in terms of national interest, not only in a historical or political sense, but besides in an cultural or even biological sense, 1 that would have rooted us more profoundly in the land and blood, even in the tribe, nevertheless another tribes might resent it. I am not talking about shouting slogans about "national pride" and idolizing millions of swearing illiterates, but about motivation for group solidarity, egoism, even from which there is simply a sense of work of elites for the general state and tough transactional policy, which both Polish elites and Polish society have never learned, which, in my opinion, stems from historical disability and deficiency of burgeoning or rich peasantry of the mediate class. This is our weakness that differentiates us negatively, for example, with Hungary.

Aversion to nationalism besides highlighted by specified prominent thinkers as Bronisław Łagowski, Andrzej Walicki Or much earlier Czesław Miłosz it is dangerous due to the fact that it can turn into pride, contempt, but besides an easy escape from the work of elites and individuals for the state of the general. The consequence is the intellectual and spiritual weakness of Polish elites, easy submission to the moral and emotional blackmails that Stanisław Bielen writes about. Nationalism thus understood should not be a fetish and a way of absolution of faults, but a tool for collective success in planet polyarchy. Being a nationalist present is 1 of the forms of rooting in a planet where the main opponents are those who want to deprive us of any roots, it's a bit like the prof. said. Bogusław Wolniewicz being a Catholic, although it's hard for an intelligent man to believe.

However, cognition is no little crucial from religion and convictions, and that is why Stanisław Bielenia's book should be a compulsory reading of everyone who cares about knowing the planet and the place in it of his own country. Its additional advantage is the index of names and extended bibliography (which was not available in the paper form) placed in footnotes and in the final collection as "recommended literature", which is important; which contains not only positions in the scope of the already mentioned planet classic, but besides many positions of contemporary national authors, which should make us go to the bookstore or library after reading it, and the authors will be invited to the Polish thought Club.

Finally, the last remark about the title, which I think is besides conservative, and yet the book is full of large sounding, first and in the best laconic kind at the same time formulas, which should enter into the widest possible circulation. Going against the current is always difficult, but it is besides a manifestation of nobility, while spreading the truth, carrying the kagan of education is never in vain, we cannot agree to it, malgré tout.

Olaf Swolkień

In the photos: promotional gathering at the Museum of independency in Warsaw 12 December 2023

Stanislaw Bielen, "Under the Current of the Call in vain", Oficyn Wydawnictwo ASPRA JR (in cooperation with the Publishing home of Myśl Polska), Warszawa 2023, p. 368. The book can be bought at the store of Polish Thoughts: przemyspolska.info/Shop

Think Poland, No. 4-5 (14-21.01.2024)