BOLSHEVIK ATTACKS ON THE ENVIRONMENT MINISTER
FR. IRENEUSZ SKUBIŚ, THE HONOURABLE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF ‘NIEDZIELA’
We remember the times of Solidarity when the late priest prof. Józef Tischner used to say about ‘homo sovieticus’, a soviet man. There was a breakthrough time coming, the way of thinking was changing but a lot of people were opting against it, somehow naturally, as they had been brought up in a different communist ideological system. Whereas a novelty was freedom and it was reminded that there were human and civilian rights, that there was something like democracy. A human began to be respected. People noticed that they could think independently and that they could say: no. It turned out that we were in the world of slogans. I remember when in the 50s in newspapers there appeared virulent articles about kulaks – rich boys who were destroying the idea of the state and community property, specifically understood. And when we published a liturgical calendar for the diocese of Częstochowa and there was the name of St. Titus in it, in Latin – sancti Titi, a censor in Katowice questioned them, because, as he thought, it concerned the marshal Tito, being in the disgust of Moscow.
Today it would seem that we live already in a different world and as if we forgot about ‘homo sovieticus’ , but he did not disappear completely from our life and it is still in the mind of a lot of people. It was proven, among the others, in the matter of felling of trees which was permitted by the environment manager Jan Szyszko – a great defender of Polish forests when during the governmental times of Donald Tusk and Bronisław Komorowski they wre completely endangered by sale. How often he appealed to convince the authorities of his opinion via Radio Maryja and Television Trwam, and also our ‘Niedziela’. Now, when the government in our country was taken over by another political opposition, Szyszko was made responsible, among the others, for the Polish forests, especially that he is also a scientist. Whereas, paradoxically speaking, he became a target of extremely aggressive and mass attacks. He is accused of not being a defender of nature. Well, among the others, Szyszko deserves the post of the environment minister and is a great defender of nature. The fact that he allowed for the felling of trees does not mean that he does not think logically. After all, we are obliged by the law of property and everybody on their possession area has a right to do what they think. The minister make this decision as a man of civic freedoms. And the fact how people have abused this law is a different matter. Whereas, soon there appeared opinions in the spirit of ‘homo sovieticus’, and their main power was hatred. It is not what care about real good is based on, that a man would express hatred to another man. And it is happening so today: in the attitude and statements of the so-called hard opposition there is domineering ‘homo sovieticus’ – simply a man of hatred and stupidity.
AA
„Niedziela” 20/2017