Purpose of life

After he dies, are there only going to be the closest friends and relatives holding memories of him? What is his  l e g a c y? 

Same, but largely different

December 2010 (winter)

8pm - glad to be early from work. Two layers, windbreaker and winter hat. Stairs, look right, look left - cross Victoria Street. iPod on: Risin' up, back on the street did my time, took my chances… Steady pace – one, two, one, two. Dark and empty; don’t slip on leaves …it's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight… Passing Buckingham Palace, looking at Big Ben and London Eye – how beautifully lit at night. Steady pace – one, two, one, two … getting tired, breathing heavily. You can't be me I'm a Rock Star…  - sudden energy boost, familiar cold shivering of the spine, can’t stop now…it's almost over now, almost over now... Finished, go to bed.

January 2011 (summer)

18:00 – need to finish in time for evening classes. Shorts, light breathable T-shirt. Lift, look left – cross eleven lanes of one-way Libertad. iPod on: Risin' up, back on the street did my time, took my chances… Steady pace – one, two, one two. Sunset, light breeze; don’t tread on dog shit. …it's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight… Passing a screen for an open air cinema, looking at girls rollerblading – how sexy in the last rays of sunlight. Steady pace – one, two, one, two … getting tired, breathing heavily. You can't be me I'm a Rock Star…  - sudden energy boost, familiar cold shivering of the spine, can’t stop now…it's almost over now, almost over now... Finished, go out.

Location: St. James’s Park (London) and Parque 3 de Febrero (Buenos Aires)

Music:Eye Of The Tiger (Survivor) and Rock Star (N.E.R.D.)
Sweat and satisfaction: Adam K J

Interregnum

Zygmunt Bauman, a philosopher, thinks that the world is in a stage where current institutions (states, national governments, international bodies) are not fit to cope with some of the most important global trends and challenges any more (global warming, international terror, global nature of internet). What is worse, current institutions are equally unfit to come up with the alternative/solution.

Globalisation has brought more good than evil and arguably made the world a safer place. The better you know someone and the more business you do together, the more likely is that it will not be in your interest to start a war. Except for the emergence of the global terrorism (or rather a perception and fear thereof) this theory seems to work. USA and China do too much business together to risk it over an argument. 

However, the other side of the coin is that important changes are becoming too difficult to implement. There are too many layers of interlinked commitments and interests, so any major change is bound to bring significant resistance. Is this the beginning of The End of History?

Foreigners in Argentina

I have come across a programme on local television about foreigners who choose to move to Argentina. This should not really be anything new in the country where more than 95% of the population claims to be of European descent. Most of their ancestors came however between mid-19^th and mid-20^th century and since that time most of the immigrants were from poor South American countries. Many foreigners who decide to move to Argentina these days come however from Western Europe and USA. The programme featured a person each from Netherlands, Belgium, France, USA and Spain – mainly people who studied here, liked the place and then decided to start a business here.

They generally like:

·         the country’s economy is not as well developed as in their countries of origin, which means there are many more opportunities to do business in Argentina. It is also easier to succeed as there is more potential for growth and less competition.

·         people are creative, have a can-do attitude and are open to new things (this comment came from the French lady, but others agreed:)

·         the country itself - vast spaces, beautiful landscapes, good climate.

They do not like:

•  inefficient institutions and generally poor level of service. This was however also seen as a business opportunity
•   people tend to find it difficult to comply with the rules

The TV presenter’s attitude to the subject was somewhere between the local’s pride and bemusement of why would anyone from these “first world” countries want to live in Argentina. This reminded me how several years back in Poland we also started to discover a similar trend. This was reflected in a popularity of a TV show with foreigners living in Poland discussing differences between Poland and their home countries. People seemed fascinated about this trend and a few of the programme's guests became celebrities. I think this had to do with the fact that at that time we were generally not very proud of our achievements, we lacked confidence and felt inferior to our western neighbours. This has changed a lot now, particularly since Poland joined EU and among younger people. I wonder where Argentina is in that process and what could be the source of confidence for the people. 

Hello Buenos Aires

I have been living in Buenos Aires for a week now. Here are my very first general impressions:

BsAs reminds me in parts of Barcelona (shaded streets, typical quarters and buildings, black & yellow taxis, weather) and in others (i.e. Palermo) of Chicago (particularly high-rise condominiums with porters; also buses are somehow similar).

The city seems to be made for cars. There are plenty of huge multi-lane streets (One way Avenida Libertador has no fewer than 11 lanes and Avenida 9 de Julio is supposed to be the widest in the world!), which actually results in a quite bearable traffic – quite an achievement for such a big and busy city. I think this is also a reason why scooters and motorbikes are not very popular. Car-orientation of the city is however not too good for pedestrians. There are plenty of zebras, but people pay attention only to the ones in the zoo. The ones on the streets are widely disregarded by the drivers.

Buenos Aires has plenty of green spaces along the La Plata river (although not directly by its shores), which are, unsurprisingly, very popular with the locals. Porteños, as people living in BsAs are known as, are generally fit and do lots of sports. Jogging, rollerblading and of course football are all popular. The difference with Europe is that older people (60+) seem quite active as well; you can see them exercising in the parks and there are quite few senior citizens in my local gym. 

Going places

Aspirations – fulfilled
Dreams – no more
Needs – constant
Goals – SMART
Commitments – abound

The moment when all the above is true marks the beginning of the rest of one’s life – predictable, stable, same, same, more of the same. This moment may (hopefully) never come, but it is always close; perhaps just around the corner. A nice cosy sofa – so comfortable to sit on, so difficult to get up. The best way not to sink in (although some may find that very appealing) is to make sure life is constructed in a way that it can provide a steady supply of various stimulations – new challenges, tests, inspirations, surprises. This is the way to grow, develop new skills, discover new talents - become a better version of oneself.

Let the adventure begin. 

In their heads

New York, September 2009
I could paint that! It surely requires very basic skills… or does it? I think this is by Rothko and he is supposed to be a great painter. Hmm, perhaps it is more about the idea and how people react to it. OK, what is the message coming from this one then? Squares, colours, size… There MUST be a meaning to it, a concept, something deep… I think.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia. April 2010

If only I could have a boat like that – I would be fishing with my brother the whole day, sell the fish in the city and come back to my village with enough money to make a decent living. My dad would be very proud of me…

La Paz, Bolivia. October 2008

Why do I always have to wear the biggest hat of them all? I still need to do shopping for my wife – where do I find those pots by the way – and it is so difficult to carry it around. It will look ridiculous on my head after the show, like a parrot or something. Great, now this tourist is taking me a picture.