28.11 | WHERE YOU BELONG

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have just announced their engagement. An incredible piece of news! She has a very powerful voice, she’s a great speaker, she’s a humanitarian, she’s a Catholic, she’s a divorcee, she’s got African American roots, she’s an actress. And, last but not least, she’s very comfortable in front of the camera. And she doesn’t come from an aristocratic family.

I saw her speech at the UN Women conference in 2015 where she talked about her reaction to the claim that women belonged in the kitchen. Meghan Markle’s been a badass way longer than you think. She’s simply incredible! I think we definitely need more women like her now!

If the British Royal Family, deeply rooted in traditions, are able to accept such an unconventional woman, someone who is so strikingly different from them, it means that they are much more open to change and growth than today’s conservative Poland.

What’s giving me the shudders is not only the political situation in our country but also what’s happening in the social media. We are witnessing more and more extremism in political opinions and attitudes. Politics has a direct impact on our lives and our freedoms as citizens. However, people seem to be losing their limits when it comes to expressing their political views.

Everybody seems to believe they have the right to impose their opinion on others. The ones who have a different opinion are seen as a public enemy. You cannot live your life the way you want to or speak up your mind without fearing possible consequences.

The nationwide paranoia is spreading. It started with the public media, censorship in culture, logging in the ancient Białowieża forest, and a far-right march in the Polish capital. Women’s rights have been restricted. It’s not only the government, but also doctors and chemists that are convinced they know better what’s good for women.

We have no right to make decisions about our own bodies any longer. They want to decide for us. They can do it simply by relying on the conscience clause or patriotism. They should definitely start looking inwardly. However, it is so much easier to criticize others than be self-critical.

What’s next? I dread to think. I simply hope that this situation will come to a sudden end. And that things will get back to normal. Soon.

I have just read that a 66-year-old man was beaten up on a tram for reading Gazeta Wyborcza, a liberal newspaper in Poland.