Our modern life is an endless pursuit of new things, but does it really make us happy? Doesn’t the familiar give us a sense of comfort, perhaps even the safety of the mother’s womb? Even when it comes to enemies, the old one is better than the new one, because at least we already know all their tricks. By the way, it reminds me of dialogue from one of the best Polish comedies of all time, Sami swoi (Our Folks), the story of two hostile neighbourly families—the Karguls and the Pawlaks—who meet again in a new place after World War II.

Kazimierz Pawlak (head of the family): Why did you hang your noses like that? If our own people live here, we can live here too.
Leonia Pawlak (his mother): Our own?! Kargul is the worst enemy of all!
Kazimierz Pawlak: Enemy? True, the enemy! But yours, mine, ours—bred on our own blood!
Mania Pawlakowa (his wife): And you couldn’t go anywhere else, ha?
Kazimierz Pawlak: Oh Mania, don’t be nervous; why did we have to look for a new enemy when the old one appeared sideways, ha? Well, that wouldn’t be God’s way.

Of course, I am aware that modern capitalism is based on this endless hunger for the new, and if anything changed, the entire system would collapse like a house of cards. But on the other hand, something has to change because neither we nor our planet will survive the current situation.

My personal life philosophy is based on minimalism in the sphere of needs while using what is given to me to the fullest. Perhaps it is easier for me to live this way because, since I was a child, I have lived in the world of my imagination and the books that nourished it. I don’t feel the need to bask in the sun on the beaches of the Riviera (actually, I would hate it because I don’t tolerate sunny weather very well, and summer has always been the hardest season for me to survive) or touch historic stones (in fact, the sweat from our hands damages them). I don’t have a car because I try to walk everywhere, and when I need to go somewhere further, I use public transport. And there are many other things in my life like this.

It is true that sometimes it’s inconvenient, but it’s a small price to pay for knowing that I’m doing something for the environment. As they say, every little counts.