Józef Piłsudski said that Poles want independence for 2 cents and 2 drops of blood, and that the opposition currently preparing to come to power can reduce this to 1 grosz and 0 drops of blood.
On National Independence Day, it is worth wondering about the willingness of today’s Poles to defend this independence. What is your willingness to sacrifice for Poland? How many would want to live without the call to sacrifice and sacrifice, including blood sacrifice, and how many are capable of doing so? The sense of duty, service and various obligations towards Poles is not just about responding to a call to a specific threat. It’s more about an inner feeling, a moral imperative. Then the defense of independence does not arise from internal calculations about whether and what is profitable for whom. Then opportunism, cover-ups and even the tendency to cooperate are clearly visible, even if they are explained by reason and realism.
Countries can maintain their independence if there are enough people willing to defend it and even sacrifice their lives for it. And expect nothing in return, except the preservation of independence as a common good, as the highest value. During the Third Polish Republic, Poles were told for years that they deserved a break from their duties to their homeland and from the concern for independence. That they can and even must distance themselves from romantic outbursts, from the rebellious mentality and the cult of national uprisings (defeats). Poles living in the Third Polish Republic should just live and not worry. Concentrate on whether hot water is flowing from the taps. This will return at the end of 2023, after the October 15 elections.
However, there are people in Poland who believe that their homeland should be defended. They do not believe that patriotism and “Polish duties” are outdated, outdated and unwise. They do not want to ‘be ordinary’, but are willing to give Poland more than ‘two drops of blood’. It’s hard to say how many there are. But even though they are in the minority, the point is that they should not be regarded as insane, as victims of patriotic ‘madness’. So that their critics would see fit to inform and ridicule them – for the sake of peace.
Marshal Józef Piłsudski said: “Polands want independence, but they would like this independence to cost two cents and two drops of blood. And independence is not only a valuable commodity, but also a very expensive one.” Those preparing to take power in Poland may turn out to be even stingier: they want independence for 1 cent and 0 drops of blood. Service to the homeland would be asymptomatic, that is, not associated with risk or sacrifice – as in Maria Peszek’s song “Sorry Polsko” (from 2012), in which she sings that she “wouldn’t even give a single drop of blood to Poland .”
Independence for one cent and without a drop of blood does not exist. You need to have a strong army and, if necessary, spend as much as 4-5% on defense. GDP. In everyday life, independence doesn’t seem to come at a high, or even an average, price. We do not experience situations where we have to pay for it. The price reveals itself and rises quickly when threatened. Until independence becomes unaffordable. Also for those who would not give “a single drop of blood” for her.
The loss of independence may not even be noticed. And this could be the case in 2024, when a decision will be taken at the EU’s Green Table to recognize the sovereignty and independence of states as an obstacle to achieving a bright future. Politicians building the government of the Civic Coalition, the Third Way and the New Left are unlikely to pay attention to what was achieved in the late 18th century, during the uprisings of the 19th century or in the interwar period, during World War II and during the Second World War. post-war Soviet slavery. That the divisions they cause and the announcements of revenge and retaliation pose an enormous threat to sovereignty and independence. That they help Poland’s enemies.
The belief of those preparing to govern that some foreign forces and states are in any way concerned with the sovereignty and independence of Poland is naive and very harmful. It is absurd to believe that foreign armed forces are greater guarantors of sovereignty and independence than the Polish government, the Polish army and Polish society. It is dangerous for Poland to seek help outside the EU, in “foreign courts”, in Berlin or Brussels. New internationalism is dangerous for Poland and manifests itself, among other things, in: in accordance with the transformation of the EU into a superstate, where Poland will be just a country or a peripheral province, and the Poles will be one of the ethnic groups, and not nation. We are on the verge of a situation where Poles may be called to defend their independence. Not in discussions, positions or considerations, but very specifically, as in 1920.
Source: wPolityce