Are Polish people negative?

Polish people are positive and happy people. Many Poles like to say Polish people complain and are depressed. I disagree.  It has been a great pleasure for me to live in Poland with peaceful humble Polish people. Polite people, who respect tradition and the old and really try to improve themselves and society. People who explore the world and ideas. Polish people are positive and have great intellectual curiosity.

Since I live on both sides of the big pond (in Poland and American) I think I can make a more reasonable assessment of Polish society more than someone who has not.

• This post about Polish culture not only answers, if, but why.

We create our own reality and the people who do complain in Poland, it is their problem. However, it has nothing to do with Polish society or Polish people, but a vocal minority of spoiled cry babies who do not have the courage to look deeper at the issues of life; and just see reality defined on the surface in terms of material wealth.  I try to stay away from messed up people. I am not my brother’s keeper.

Melancholy Vs. Complaining victims – Some Polish people  are melancholy, this is different from the energy vampires who complain like babies – people who are not proud of and defend their own culture.

The melancholy, maybe just they need more sunlight, but even these depressed ones seem to be laughing about their negativity and depression and smiling. They joke and laugh about their depression and they are quite funny about it.  This is just the way they like to talk.

American Vs. Polish negativity – But Polish people are not more negative than other people.  I am Polish and American and travelled the world so I have perspective.

Look at the stereotype of the happiness people on earth, the Americans.  Smiling Americas yes, but we love to complain too.

I am American and all I can say I am glad I live in Poland today. I do not have to be subjective to all the negativity of American politics and news.  Americans like to complain about Obama or  the debt or the economy or schools and everything else. Even me I am somewhat Libertarian and I complain about both parties the GOP and the Democrats. Gee Wiz I am happy I cancelled by Cable or I would be laying on my sofa, glued to CNN and depressed.

In fact, I would say that Polish people at this juncture are less negative than most. In fact, all my Polish friends are positive and have a sparkle in their eye and warm and caring. Students and the young are particularly a positive.

Who is complaining in Poland

Energy Vampires in Poland

So the stereotypes of Polish people complaining is from a specific voice of people. Lets look at who complains in Poland and why.

The old in Poland have faith (and moved mountains by bringing down communism) and the young have hope ( and have a sparkle in their eye). So who is negative?

In my observation, there are some people 40-60 year old people, really to 55, that have made negativity, nihilism cynicism their fundamental way of life. They are not even aware of it.

Some but not all.

I think this is comes from a lack of faith and trust. They confuse the church with religion and quickly embrace pop culture cynicism.

That is they are cynical because they have neither faith in the great sense or hope and faith in their own personal meaning in an individual sense. They muddle though life.

I think this came from a time in Poland when they did not know how to handle the break from black and white cultural structure they had, so they choose to see only shade of grey. Their negativity which they call  ‘realism’ pollutes the young like communism polluted the water. They have a mission to take the magic out of life for people.

Me I avoid these people. But this has nothing to do with Poland, but rather people in general. Negative people or energy vampires are found everywhere. It is not Poland.

They try to rob the youth of faith and hope  indirectly. They do this  subtly by not encouraging hope.

Therefore they paint a picture of their world as grey and whatever, Co mam robić – wszystko jedno. But under this I think they lack faith.

Good news about Polish society

However, the Polish people I know are not like that at all. Most are sweet and positive and have faith and hope in God and humanity and themselves. Some lack confidence, but that is something different, more a human problem. So are Polish people negative? No and if you know some that are I would suggest you find a new circle of friends. It has nothing to do with being Polish society, a few people who are on a journey towards the dark side.