Pawel works in international trade. He always reminds me that, unlike today’s youth, he left home at a very young age, when he decided that he saw no future where his parents lived.
I really like his success story and he knows it, that’s why he has told me several times. Also because Pawel enjoys practicing Spanish and sharing his battles with the few acquaintances he has around here.
A couple of nights ago we were relaxing in the living room of his dreamhouse, reclining in armchairs, watching the bay lights through huge windows. Sade’s mesmerizing voice accompanied us in the background, flowing smoothly through a large group of recessed speakers in undefined places, absolutely invisible. I was listening to both of them, absorbed behind a glass of good wine that I brought for that occasion.
Pawel’s story sounds different when he tells it, with his typical accent. As much as I (jokingly) try to imitate it, it doesn’t come out the same:
– “Not one more year I waited since I started working as a welder in a company in Poland to raise enough money to buy my uncle his old DKW. I remember that even then it was almost a million miles! I had to cut the foam from the mattress on my bed so it would fit behind the van. With the salary of two more months, I packed my suitcase, hugged my mother, shook my father’s hand and went to Germany… “
Pawel is not an ordinary person. Yes, he really has a lot of money and he knows how to enjoy it in his homes around the world, but what makes him unusual, from my point of view, is that he really cares about the impact that his actions may have on those who surround him:
– “People earn money with the needs of others. I did it, it is not illegal or dishonest. If you need something and you can’t get it yourself, someone has to give it to you … “
(I think this is his favorite phrase).
– “For this house you told me about putting photovoltaic panels. When we built it, you told me that I would need a lot of energy, and that the price was going to rise due to the growing demand for energy and because the electricity companies would want to get their share of the pie. I listened to you and today I thank you, but not so much for the money that I save … “
(Pawel can sometimes get very solemn too.)
– “… but because I feel that I am giving back to the world a bit of the luck that I had by being able to do this house for myself: I have usurped the land that I step on by filling it with concrete, but I have reforested the rest of the plot; I have bought luxurious furniture to be comfortable, but all of it, the clothes that I wear, even the food that I eat, comes from sustainable sources; And I spend the energy that I produce myself. And, since I have enough, I share it with my neighbors to reduce the carbon footprint that all of us leave with our stressful lives … “
Pawel’s arguments have always seemed reasonable to me. Very of him, but very sensible. As he says, everyone (and everyone at their level) can make this a better world.
And you? Do you have arguments to improve things? Do you put them into practice?
