37. Generally speaking the substances you absorb with food form the structure of your body and if there are not a lot of nutrients in the meals we consume you are not likely to be strong and healthy, and an important issue is not to eat enough in terms of quantity but also in terms of quality. From the medical point of view, most diseases are caused by unhealthy habits and therefore proper diet has a significant importance if you want to be truly healthy.
38. I can agree with this statement; I think that health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit, and when one is distracted by some physical illness or disability it is difficult to think clearly and focus. Additionally, caring about good health and being fit requires certain self-discipline and persistence, which is also a form of ‘training’ for your character. In martial arts for example, physical effort is seen as a mean of developing your mind.
39. From a scientific point of view there is a strong mutual dependence between mind and body, which, in fact, is our nervous system. One of the most visible and known examples of this correlation is the so-called Placebo effect – people who believe some medicine or stimuli have an effect on the functioning of their bodies actually start to feel differently. During an experiment a group of ill people were given pills with sugar and they were told that it was a revolutionary and innovative medicine. What was found was that they actually felt better, although it was only due to their attitude.
40. I think that Polish diet is appropriate for people living in Poland, and in a similar way any culinary tradition is adjusted locally available products. That is why African cuisine, for example, although also rich, is not suitable for Europeans in a long term. Many people say that Polish diet is rather heavy, salty and fat, but on the other hand home-made dishes include a lot of vegetables and varied ingredients. When it comes to British food I didn’t have an opportunity to try it so it is hard for me to say whether it is good or not, but from what I know I think it is not better than the Polish food.
41. Childhood obesity is becoming such a problem throughout the world because of the modern lifestyle of children and teenagers who spend, or rather waste more and more time at computer on facebook, and are not physically active. Another reason is that fast and junk food is more and more common, even among primary school students. In Poland it is not such a problem as in the US, but still it is becoming more and more visible.
42. I think Poland is as a friendly country for people with physical disabilities as other countries in the west. The only difference and obstacles disabled people have to face are infrastructural barriers in cities as well as limited and difficult access to professional health-care, which is caused by ineffective administration in public institutions.
43. There are a plenty of annoying and irritating behaviours and habits in other people that bother me, and one of them is when someone is notoriously late or when someone agrees to something and later resigns, in the very last moment. Another thing which irritates me, but is not so serious is when someone stares at my screen when I work by computer. Those were just a few irritating behaviours, because to enumerate all of them would take a long while...
44. In Spain and in southern countries in general it is normal and acceptable to hug with people when you meet someone or as a form of saying goodbye. In our country, however, we usually keep the distance and we are not very willing to let anyone in our private space. That is one example that I can think of... Nothing else actually comes to my mind now.
45. The last film that brought out strong emotions in me was “The Elephant Man” by David Lynch. The film was based on facts and tells the story of a disabled, mutilated man who because of his monstrous appearance is shown in a circus as an ‘attraction’. During one show an ambitious young doctor notices and ‘borrows’ him from his ‘owner’ to show off to other doctors during some meeting. He later discovers, however that the man can speak and is a sensitive person. The doctor tries to help him but fails, but nevertheless gives him his lost dignity. After watching the movie I felt deeply moved and sympathetic for the misfortunate person.
46. When I was at primary school my father taught me how to play chess. At his youth he was an excellent chess player and won some tournament. At the beginning it didn’t took him long to beat me but with time I was playing better and better and after several years of occasional playing I finally won. It gave me tremendous satisfaction.
47. When I was about 10 years old we used to play cards with my father and sister on weekends, usually on Saturday or Sunday morning. It was not a tradition in a strict sense, but we played for some time. I don’t know whether I would like to have such a tradition with my own family, because I have never thought about it. I think however that it would be a nice idea to have such an activity or hobby that could engage the whole family.
48. I think I know the right balance and for me it goes without saying that love is more important than money, because it gives you true happiness and a feeling of harmony. Money on the other hand is just a tool, a mean to obtain goods, products and services which you want to have for a particular purpose, so money is not a purpose itself. Besides, people who truly love you and who share their lives with you are priceless and will be much more valuable to you in case you need help or have some problems.
49. Ideally, I would like to be satisfied with both my professional and personal life, but if I had to choose I would say that having a good relationship is more important (providing that I have some job and financial means to make for a living). The reason for that is that at work you are obliged to different things and to do different tasks and you often have to experience stress. When you are in a good relationship with someone you are not together because you have to but because you want to and your relationship is not a source of stress but a source joy.
50. I think censorship is in most cases a bad thing, because, everyone should have unlimited access to knowledge and the right to know facts and therefore deciding on what can and what cannot be said or shown is limiting one of the basic human right. The only exception to that rule is when a particular information may harm other people. Several years ago in Spain an immigrant of Arabic origin published a book about methods of beating women that do not leave any traces or signs of abuse. I think censorship should concern only such extreme cases, like this one or child pornography. It often happens, however, that censorship is used to hide facts that are inconvenient for a particular, usually influential, groups of people.
51. There is a significant difference between a newspaper editor deciding what is reported on and a government official deciding about it, and it lies in the fact that an editor tends to be more objective and will disclose facts that may be inconvenient to the officials. Newspaper editor however is usually focused on information that is ‘catchy’ and sensational, because he wants to attract as great audience as possible. Government official on the other may have a tendency to construct an image of his administration that is positive but not necessarily true.
52. Today in Poland censorship is not a problem as it used to be during communist regime, but still some opinions are considered as ‘politically correct’ and others are not, which may be considered as a modified and soften version of propaganda and not telling the whole truth. In the past censorship was more oppressive and visible.
53. I practice rock climbing and I really enjoy it. It gives me a fantastic opportunity to explore my physical and psychological limits and to constantly break them. Climbing also gives me a great satisfaction and possibility to do something interesting. I started climbing several years ago when a friend of mine took me for a trip and explained how to use the equipment. Since that time we sometimes make short trips or practice at an indoor artificial climbing wall
54. I would love to travel one day to Japan or China, or go hiking in Himalaya mountains and experience a great adventure, but as for now I unfortunately cannot afford such a trip and the cost of such journeys would be so high that I don’t know whether I will be ever able to afford it, but still I wish to go there somewhere in future.
55. When I was 12 I was keen on drawing and in time my drawings were becoming better and better but I was rather frustrated with the results and stopped for some time. Then I started to draw again but after a break I was even more dissatisfied with my drawings and I quitted. I thought about starting drawing over again but eventually I didn’t find time and motivation.