Start counting your chickens

A growing number of people recognize the importance of healthy eating. At least, there is slowly but steadily growing concern about the physiological effects of artificial substances contained in the food we eat. Organic food is generally thought to be expensive and unavailable to many consumers, but supermarkets and biofood shops are not the only sources available. In Hungary, country-side families seem to re-discover certain values of a not so long forgotten way of life. More and more people produce home-grown vegetables and fruits in the garden. They also keep goats and hens for their eggs. All this was an organic part of everyday life one or two generations ago. Does it mean that we are going back in time and the development of our society and economy is now in reverse? Certainly not! I believe we are taking small steps to a different direction. One where the rules of consumer society are not so dominant, and this actually does suit my taste.

Overheard

..an elderly lady talking to her husband on her cell-phone while travelling on the bus on a Monday morning in Budapest. "yes, they are both fine, the baby was born last night, there were no complications, everything is all right...but, listen, I came upon two unattended dogs on the pavement this morning as I was descending the stairs to the underpass. They looked badly-fed and... will you have a look?" The conversation was short and simple and the husband's responses were easy to guess. Lost in random thoughts inspired by what I had overheard, I visualized scenes from the decent life of an old couple when a middle-aged woman decided to give voice to her undisciplined disagreement. She walked over to the old lady and briefly explained her concerns making sure there is no time for response and got off the bus quickly after withdrawing her forefinger. The core of her argument articulated in one statement: there are people lying in the street! Since it was minutes after their private phone discussion with her husband, this out-of-nowhere verbal attack puzzled the old lady. Being harshly criticized for showing sympathy for animals was not something she was prepared to handle the day after her grandchild was born.

Your blog in a hundred years' time

Let your imagination soar! Do you believe it is possible that the post you have just saved on your website... Why not? Modern technology enabled mankind to make an immeasurable amount of data available on the internet. What happens to all this information? Does anyone ever housekeep this vast and ever-growing network of interconnected computer networks? Of course, every server has its lifespan and needs to be replaced at some point, but many servers have backup tapes and any information accessible on the worldwide web can be multiplied. By the time the original 'copy' is deleted, there will have been hundreds of replicas; therefore it is quite imaginable that your blog will survive the century. Our modern history is being recorded almost in real-time on the internet. In a hundred years' time this immense quantity of data will be the source of historical research. We can also anticipate that the offsprings of our great grandchildren will show interest in ancient blog archives. Think twice before pressing the 'publish' button to avoid misinforming future generations. Will they understand why so many people spent precious hours of their time writing blogs? Let's hope the answer is yes and be self-assured enough to say they will find valuable content and have a good time reading it in 2109.

Positive side effects?

Nobody knows how many people would fall victim of the global crisis, not to mention the magnifying effects of the Hungarian recession we had already felt before the worldwide avalanche started. One of the inevitable consequences of the present economic and social situation in Hungary is that individuals learn to look after themselves and to take responsibility. Limited choices remain when we can no longer expect the government and our social systems to ensure our lifelong existence and contribute to our relative well-being: protest, fall or adapt. Learning to make long-term future plans, thinking actively about the years ahead trying to find the narrow window of opportunity in today’s turmoil are the options for the ones who choose to look ahead.

How does your government perform in the ongoing global crisis?

Are you satisfied with the suggestions the political elite in your country has to offer? Do they fill you with confidence or do they discourage you? It is not easy for an ordinary citizen like me to assess how critical the situation is. What I know is that we are in trouble. But how deep? I hear the word 'crisis' every day and it starts loosing its meaning - like the images of massacres and car bomb explosions on the news - I am getting used to it. At the same time, I keep reminding myself to stay alert because what is happening now is likely to change our future. I believe the Hungarian politicians fail the people they are entrusted to represent. There is no chance in our country that the opposition party (Fidesz, ex-PM Viktor Orbán) and the socialists (MSZP, PM Ferenc Gyurcsány) set aside own agendas and unite their political power for the good of the nation. They can afford to go down the good old path putting political survival ahead of common interests because Hungary is the home of no consequences. Of course, consequences will follow and the price the people pay will be high, maybe higher than ever... we will know soon enough.