Piskorski: Fools in uniform

The uniform of all army in the planet is an external sign of certain belonging. In the conventional caste division for the Indo-European peoples, it should symbolize kshatrija – a warrior.

In a professionalized and technicalized world, this modern warrior should be characterized by specialized cognition combined with imagination, caution and prudence. After all, he has a work – especially erstwhile he commands armies, divisions or even smaller units. His ability to make the right decisions at the right time may depend not only on the life of the full congregation, but on the endurance of its organization structure (most frequently the state), and even on the further biological existence of the community. Seeing the uniform, then, we are convinced that we are dealing with individual not only liable but besides in-depth and trained, inaccessible to our knowledge.

Of course, reasoning is frequently a painful illusion. In the most tragic aspects of history, we find this in real armed conflicts and wars, erstwhile subsequent clowns like Rydz-Smigły, convincing us a minute earlier about our powerful position and the immeasurable power, first evacuate abroad. Fortunately, however, our past is not just made up of utmost situations that verify everything. Under average circumstances, rather a regular charm of the uniform besides rather easy and rapidly can slip away. Sometimes it happens erstwhile we meet people personally in Pagons, even those indicating the highest distinctions. We anticipate deep analysis from them, and we hear trivial formulas. We are comforted that it may be due to the fact that they do not want to share with individual random secret cognition they possess.

Worse, however, erstwhile the general reduces himself to the function of jester. Modern Polish reality breaks from the taboos of the highest officers, those in a state of rest, but besides (about horror!) those most active, frequently holding the highest positions in the army. They do not avoid the media, including social ones, which they undoubtedly usage sometimes after a fewer deeper ones (and these are not breaths or moments of thought). They talk and compose tromtadratic slogans, pursuit their imaginary “bolsheviks” or pursuit windmills. Each time, this is accompanied by a sense of expertise, resulting from reminding them that once, in college, they read 3 books and analyzed 2 battles during the civilian War. The cognition and the highest level of expert cognition are yet to be deepened by the friendly relations with the occupying corps of abroad troops, sometimes taking Polish uniforms for a fewer days to a distant metropolis and issuing them diplomas of completion of the course loudly titled and tailored modernly, “so in American”.

Effects? Retired Polish general telling another communicative for 2 years about how a medium-sized state has fallen in a moment, already next day he will defeat the atomic power. This empire is full of interior contradictions in the eyes of Polish uniform “scientists”. On the 1 hand, they say that this is simply a dangerous beast, which you truly request to be afraid of, and in order to be afraid of little – you gotta buy more weapons and give them, uniform, more money. On the another hand, after a while they can see that it's no beast, but a colossus on clay legs that's about to fall and be a laughing stock for planet powers, including our native breeding.

Sometimes, however, the measurement changes, and these jumps dressed in crazy uniforms begin to sound dangerous. erstwhile a madman in the highest military position in the state announces that the present generation will go and return victorious from the war against the neighboring military and atomic power, he ceases to be cheerful and harmless. It may be added by the fact that he speaks about his own generation, or people after 50 years of age, alternatively already on the front line that is not useful. But all of this comicism escapes erstwhile it turns out that in the capitals of neighboring countries they take these crazy words for the announcement of aggression in their territory. The announcement, which is made not on her neighbor's birthday, after respective shots of vodka with her husband, but in the walls of 1 of the most crucial military colleges in the country.

It is worth to yet replace the jesters with kszatrije. But where to find them?

Mateusz Piskorski

Think Poland, No. 43-44 (20-27.10.2024)