My Life. From My Own Perspective. Introduction I am not writing this out of a sense of self-importance, nor out of a sudden urge to publicly bare my private life. I have decided to recount a few key experiences, using them as a springboard to address a much broader issue. It is an issue that in Poland is still swept under the rug or treated with an alarming level of indulgence, yet it is intimately tied to what we call the Polish mentality. I have no desire to be pigeonholed as a "critic of Polishness." First of all, I dislike generalizations. Secondly, I have many wonderful friends among Poles. And thirdly, I consider myself largely Polish. However, I have spent my entire life interacting with many different nations and years integrating into various countries. This gives me a certain distance, allowing me to observe phenomena that are far more intense and destructive within Polish communities than anywhere else. Working in Poland for many years, I lived a very good life up to a certain point. I had a multitude of appreciative clients and earned a very good income. However, this was accompanied by relentless hate, jealousy, envy, and constant attacks that I had to learn to endure or simply ignore. Today, looking back from the distance of Cambodia, I judge it much more harshly. I realized that material comfort and a high standard of living were not worth the price I paid: years of humiliation, degradation, and constant witch hunts. I refuse to play the victim—I never felt comfortable in that role and always avoided it. However, I am fully aware that a high standard of living and success achieved without self-promotion do not make up for hatred and aggression. Moreover, I realize that I was no exception. Other Poles—celebrities, artists, or simply public figures—arouse the exact same hate and hostility among their compatriots. The fact that I am not alone in this does not comfort me in the slightest, nor does it legitimize these destructive behaviors in any way. On the contrary, it makes me feel an even greater need to describe these events from my own, subjective perspective.