Naši studenti Ročník 2011
Martin Bernát
Více
Martin Bernát
"Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change himself." (L.N. Tolstoy)
I am an idealist – perhaps because of my upbringing; or perhaps I was shaped by the eclectic international environment of my alma mater; or maybe it is simply a result of the years I spent living in the very centre of the melting pot called London. In my studies, I have found a burning passion, one which I’ve set out to understand and put to good use. My simple wish for the future is, in Tolstoy's words, to change the world – to leave a mark and to make a difference for the better.
But do I want to change myself?
When Tolstoy speaks of change, changing the world or changing oneself, it lends itself to explain Tolstoy’s remark as a comment on the human lack of will to better oneself. This worldview, deeply pessimistic and no doubt inspired by Schopenhauer’s darker interpretation of ethics and aesthetics, led Tolstoy in the autumn of his life to glorify pacifism above all other virtues – a stand that would later have a profound impact on Gandhi and Martin Luther King. But whilst a positive influence on others, it is this pessimism that ultimately betrays Tolstoy in his perception of the world. In his statement, Tolstoy fully separates the world around us from who we are. He suggests that the two concepts exist independently, that one might wish to change the world, yet expect to remain untouched in the process.
"All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds," says Pangloss, Candide’s tutor, in Voltaire's masterpiece, expressing what Voltaire once called blind optimism. Pangloss’ character advocates the idea that we should not seek to change the world around us; he sees God as a benevolent deity and the world as a constant, perfect for our purpose. We thus follow a story of a man who, even when diseased and enslaved, still does not seek to blame or alter the world in which he lives; he lives with his eyes closed, unable to reflect on what he sees or has seen. Having decided not to change the world, Pangloss too remains unchanged, stale and blind.
Candide himself, having faced austerity, death and loss of loved ones, like his tutor, remains an optimist at heart. But unlike his friend and teacher Pangloss, Candide begins to understand that the world and the self cannot be perceived separately. "We must cultivate our garden," he exclaims. Voltaire suggests that we must nurture the hidden potential within ourselves – and he sees this potential strictly in the light of the world around us. A man who is unwilling to change cannot shape the world.
I, like Candide, believe that these two concepts – change of a man and change of the world - are fundamentally inseparable. The people I have met and the challenges I have faced have formed me into the person I am today. No doubt I will change in the years to come, but that is not the purpose of my undertaking. When I step out into the world, I expect to change; I am thrilled to see the unfamiliar and new; and I hope to evolve – but what I seek and what I want is to change the world. Today, we cannot single ourselves out like Tolstoy might suggest – it is Candide’s view that we need to assume. Change of oneself is not a matter of will; it is an organic, unstoppable process – a result of living in the world with an open mind.
When Tolstoy claims that "no one wants to change himself," I choose not to understand this as a comment on the lack of will, but merely as a lack of perspective that does not allow us to project and foresee who we wish to be. It is by doing our best in the world that we will learn whom we can become and what we can achieve; and ultimately, it is these achievements that will be the driving force behind any change we see in the world.
So, do I want to change myself? No. I want to change the world. However, in striving to achieve this goal, a change in myself is both unavoidable and welcome. It will be through this challenge, my determination and belief that I will become a better person.
Martin Bernát
Po absolvování gymnázia v Liberci jsem vystudoval chemii a chemické inženýrství na California Institute of Technology (BS) a fyzikální chemii na University College London (MSc). Během studia jsem také získal zkušenosti z výzkumu fosilních paliv a obnovitelných energií při NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, UCL a Universität Hamburg. S finanční pomocí Nadace Zdeňka Bakaly nyní studuji v kombinovaném double-degree programu při francouzské Ecole des Mines ParisTech a čínské Tsinghua University obor mezinárodní energetický management (alternatives pour l'énergie du futur) a tepelné inženýrství. V budoucnu bych rád uplatnil své zkušenosti a vzdělání v inovaci a přenosu nových technologií do energetického průmyslu, investic do obnovitelných energií či ve státních službách v oblasti národní energetické bezpečnosti.
Jitka Bolchová
Více
Jitka Bolchová
"God made the country, and man made the town."
William Cowper
AThe description of a city in which most of us would like to live… it would be a city in which
our liveslife would resembled the liveslife we dream of. Clean and green, vital and healthy, with all supplies
within reach of a hand, safe, the city full of opportunities, endless job offers, yet a place to
rest. A cChildren’s desires surely do differ from those of an elderly man, and each of us seeks for
something different in our lives,. Nnevertheless, anyoneeveryone who dreamings of an ideal city would
definitely try to coverinclude benefitsadvantages for all. The perfect city has never existed, nor will it ever exist, and the perfect
city will never exist, as we much as ourselves and ourthe world existthat surrounds us. But let’s dream for
a minute and imagine see what a perfect city might look like.
The characteristics of my dream city are not the most important; it’s the form of the city that, what
mattersI find so crucial. That is to say, my dream city is an organism. It’s a living matter, which
absorbs the stimulius from outside and responds to it. The negative behaviourbehavior of its inhabitants
toward each other is immediately reflected in its inner atmosphere,; asidentically to with any other living
organism ,- incapability of living in harmony with surroundings equals doom. Insensitive
intrusionservention to it’s body causewill cause an illness. It’s the well known Newton’s well-known principle of
action and reaction. In this case, our actions would be reflectedmirrored in the city’s reactions. And
what is most importantly, - the image of the city is also the image of our own acts. OWhen we
look into the city’s streets, our actions, our behaviour, and habits, even ourselves, are allall that is
reflectedmirrored in the city’s streetsre…........
.......Is the idea of a town as an organism „town as an organism“ kind of science fiction? No, it’ is not. EEvery town we all are
living in is really something as an like an organism, which reactsis reacting and respondsanswering to our needsincentives – as is every .
As well as the country, even or our entire planet. We haven’t just madeAnd not just the towns; , butthe whole world is what we have
made the product of through our behaviorur and our intentions. We are designing it without beeing aware of
the fact, that each of us is anthe architect. But this engineering is not just an active work;, more
than that we are designing the worldit with our passivity, with our idleness. The mere Ggood -behaviorng is
not enought – - even lack of action on the part of “good ones” the non-performance of „good ones“ enables the victory of evil. Our
insufficient effort is at the same time our own condemnation of our town, country, planet.
All of us have the similar visions of thean ideal town;, we all would like to live in one like that. We often verbalize this vision – we describe what how is the city is like; , we explain different approaches to how to reach this dream and what is preventingmissing for completionachievement of this dream. But we totally forget that the main thing that is missing is not hidden somewhere inside these words, but inside of us: – there is lack of effort, motivation, and activity inside of us. We have lost the habit ofto participatinge in our own fate, to work on it; , we have totally forgotten that our destiny is an intergralintegral part of our country, our city.
So what is the difference between athe real town and my unreal town-living organism? That, in our reality, this organism reacts so slowly and is so complex, that you can hardly recognize its reaction. But it is an organism in any case, and we have to keep it on ourthat in mind. And for those, who don‘t recognize the organism in it, we arehave the obligatedion to show it to them, search for it for them, and remind them of it every single day.
Jitka Bolchová
Narodila jsm se v roce 1984. Mám titul MUDr. získaný na 2.lékařské fakultě Univerzity Karlovy, obor všeobecné lékařství. Mám za sebou stáž v Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, USA, oddělení dětské onkohematologie, stipendijní pobyt na Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago. Absolvovala jsme stáž v Medizinische Hochschule Hannover na nefrologickém oddělení profesora J.Ehricha a na oddělení dětské onkohematologie u profesora K. Welte. Přijata na Karlovu Univerzitu v Praze Fakultu sociálních věd, obor Teritoriální studia, bakalářský studijní program, předpokládané dokončení studia letní semester 2012. Studuji Master of Science Programme in International Health pořádaný organizací TropEd, Charité University, Berlin.
Silvie Fexová
Více
Silvie Fexová
Poverty is the mother of crime
To be honest, I had not given much thought to what the origins of crime are on the global scale. I just accepted crime, like most other people, as an unpleasant yet ever-present part of our lives – as something that we may not like, but that is inevitable. But is it really so? Or is there a common source of criminal behavior that, if removed, would largely defeat criminality among people? Obviously Marcus Aurelius believed there is one main factor we can blame: poverty. With all due respect to Marcus Aurelius and his philosophy, I disagree.
I consider myself lucky to live in the wealthier part of the world. It is certainly more comfortable not to have to worry whether or not I will have dinner tonight. In countries like the Czech Republic, real poverty as we know it from - let’s say - some African countries is virtually non-existent. Yet has this relatively long-lasting affluence helped us to conquer crime? I do not think so, and a brief look into available statistics confirms my belief. For example, the rate of thefts (which, in my opinion, is the type of offence that could most likely be elicited solely by poverty) is convincingly higher in wealthier countries than in the poorer ones. One might demur that statistics of this type also reflect the willingness of the victims to actually report the crime and hence their faith in the functioning of the local law enforcement. Nevertheless, I believe it may still be safely concluded that wealthier countries do not suffer from substantially less crime than poorer ones.
The explanation for this, as I see it, is clear: where there is very little to steal, it is not worth becoming a thief. And this translates into the idea that it is not the lack of property itself, but rather the fact that our neighbors have something we don’t that stirs the uneasiness that eventually can lead to crime. This, of course, is in sharp contrast to the belief expressed by Marcus Aurelius, which represents the rather romantic view of man as a naturally good being who is forced for some external reasons to betray his good nature and become a criminal. If this little idea of mine holds true, virtually no amount of money or wealth could stop crime altogether. And I have the feeling that our everyday experience only supports this notion.
But if it is not the lack of resources, what is it that compels people to act against the law and risk imprisonment? Envy or greed? Possibly, but I believe that we must search deeper to find the true culprit. In my opinion, the main factor that ultimately drives people to commit a crime, the one that lies at the bottom of all their actions really, is the desire to stand out, to gain respect of their peers, to impress others and to climb a little higher in the hierarchy of their respective social groups. Unfortunately, this ambition, innocent as it may be in itself, can sometimes be fulfilled in an immoral and dishonest way, and in some twisted groups, crime might even be the only way.
From a biological and evolutionary point of view, this actually makes sense. The ultimate goal that all organisms (even unknowingly) pursue is reproduction, and that requires a suitable mate – the best one around if possible. The obvious problem is how to attract such a mate, and the obvious solution is to be better (faster, stronger, more powerful) than your competitors. In biology we use a special term for the “leader of the pack”, the most powerful individual, most commonly a male – the alpha-male. The primary objective of all the males is to become the α-one. Those, who were too nice or not ambitious enough left virtually no progeny, so they are no longer among us. Although this parallel with animal behavior surely is overly simplistic, it may nevertheless be eye-opening, since it shows what our heritage is: we were simply born competitive.
The major issue is how to assess the social status of an individual. Whether we like it or not, the most universal measure today is money and what it can buy - but the concrete display can vary greatly with our surroundings. This also makes money the primary target of criminals. In broad terms, however, it can be anything that will gain for us the respect of those we consider our peers and so our most immediate competitors, or help us to attract the opposite sex.
In short, we all try to stand out. However, the important decision is how far we are willing to go to distinguish ourselves, and that it the question of morals. Although the understanding of the natural forces that shaped our behavior through evolution may be enlightening, it definitely does not justify crime as a way to achieve things. We may be very similar to animals in some aspects, but we are also very different in others. We have the ability to clearly evaluate the impact of our actions and we have the advantage of thousands of years of historical experience. We can benefit from the legacy of our predecessors – a system of moral rules and laws that make living in a large society possible, a setting in which all individuals can pursue their goals peacefully.
To conclude, I do not believe it is poverty that is the mother of crime; I think it is our ambition, our desire for respect and appreciation of others, for influence on (or power over) other people. The problem is that some individuals do not hesitate to use whatever means to get it. It is our competitive nature that is the ultimate reason for most criminal behavior, but we cannot and should not try to change it – because it is this very same nature of ours that also drives the good things that we do. The only solution left to us is to nurture our morals and to make crime as risky a business as possible.
Silvie Fexová
Po ukončení mého středoškolského studia na gymnáziu v Třebíči jsem se rozhodla věnovat biologii na Přírodovědecké fakultě Jihočeské university, kde jsem ukončila jak bakalářské tak magisterské studium. V rámci biologických oborů se zajímám hlavně o buněčnou a vývojovou biologii. Měla jsem to štěstí, že jsem byla přijata na universitu v Cambridge, kde budu pokračovat ve studiu v doktorském programu. Zde se budu podílet na zkoumání buněčné komunikace během vývoje u modelového organizmu - mušky octomilky.Pokud tedy zrovna nemučím nějaké nebohé mouchy v laboratoři, rádi hraji na klarinet nebo i vyjedu s přáteli na výlet na kole.
Stanislav Fořt
Více
Stanislav Fořt
The life of a human being is a complicated structure that flourishesing inunder good conditions. However, I am firmly believeconvinced that beneath all the complexity, there is a simpleplain basis for the behaviour of every man or woman: . When talking about such a background, I mean ourthe unavoidable need necessity forto fulfilling satisfy our the fundamental needs and urges. I believe that when once a person is taken into in deep poverty, his life is consequently reduced tointo fulfilling his basic needs – the satisfaction of what is crucial for living itself survival. The desire to live can easily overcome concerns about what is declared to be legal and, in order to stay alivemaintain whole life, crossing the limits of the law does not seem to be a grave obstacle, neither morally nor de facto.
Stanislav Fořt
Jmenuji se Stanislav Fořt, narozen v roce 1993. Jsem studentem osmého ročníku všeobecného oboru Gymnázia Pierra de Coubertina v Táboře. Mými hlavními zájmy jsou fyzika a astronomie. Během středoškolských studií se mi podařilo získat celkově 6 medailí z mezinárodních kol astronomické a fyzikální olympiády. Stal jsem se také absolutním vítězem Mezinárodní olympiády v astronomii a astrofyzice v roce 2011. Jsem držitel úrovně C2 v anglickém jazyce. Hlásím se na univerzity v USA a UK, například na University of Cambridge nebo MIT. V budoucnu bych se rád věnoval teoretické fyzice a astrofyzice.
Josef Hazi
Více
Josef Hazi
How many times have you wished for the world to be a nicer place to live? How strong was your wish? The majority of people would like to see the world to be calmer, healthier and happier place for them and their descendants, but only few of them actually make an effort to help their dreams come true.
For instance, many of us wish the streets to be clean and tidy but almost no one really bends down, picks up the litter and throws it to the bin. Even by a small participation, we can contribute to the common wish immensly. L. N. Tolstoy once said „Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change himself“. It is difficult to step out of the comfort zone but I am convinced that by doing something towards our wish we are not only a part of the whole process of changing the world but also an inspiration for others.
We are often persuaded that as an individual one cannot change anything. However, history proves otherwise. There were always people who showed us that with great determination and firm belief even a single person can change or at least show the others the path towards a change of the world. Take Martin Luther King, he had a dream of the world as a place where people are equal to each other, he sacrificed his life to this dream and I firmly believe that he changed the world for the better.
So far, I have been talking about changing the whole world, however the majority of people often wishes to change just the part of the world that surrounds them. They want the surrounding world to give them love, happiness, fame, money, succes etc. but not going towards their ambitions. They do not see that before the world starts rewarding us, we have to firstly devote ourselves to our dreams and make the first step. I believe this is the point of view at the Tolstoy’s statement that is truly important for us to realize as we are human beings with needs, wishes and expectations from life.
Considering this, I would like to show what does it mean to me and how have I already changed myself according to what I wished to get from the surrounding world. My race towards change began when I was around 12 years old. I wished to be as succesful in maths, physics olympiads and other competitions as one of my classmates, Adam, was. But he was way more talented, he won 3 first places in one year. At that time I blamed the world for him being smarter than me. Nontheless, I gradually started to understand that in order to get what I wanted I had to first change my attitude. Thus, I started to learn more, I went towards my dream and the next year I won 1 first place and as the years went by, I was 5 times awarded the school prize for the best student representing our school in natural sciences. However, I still wanted more. Although I couldn’t have afford it I wanted to travel and gain experience. Fortunately, due to my succes in maths and physics olympiads I was offered to participate in the competition called Young Physicists’ Tournament and since we, as a team, succeded we were able to travel for the international rounds in China, Austria and Írán.
As to the experience I wished to get from the world, something special happened to me when I was in China. I met a member of the slovakian national team who had been accepted to study at the Oxford University. My first reaction was the same as many people probably would have. What an exceptional possibility he got, he is really lucky man! But then I started to think in the new way. If he did it, why couldn’t I? And so I set my first great goal.
I have been keeping and sticking to that dream for almost two years now and as I wanted to reach it I had to fulfil many conditions before getting and offer of a place. All of these required major sacrifices throughout which I changed myself a lot. I had to hold to my time plan, learn a lot, manage my time wisely and often prioritise and prefer my plan over my hobbies and friends. Nontheless I finally got the offer and thus I achieved my goal.
Apart from my academic activities there were of course other parts of my life that I was not satisfied with. For instance, I wasn’t much popular among my classmates. Thus, with the new comprehension of the „world rules“, I started to listen to them more, find what they didn’t like about me and targeted my effort to change myself to be more communicative, more positive and more nicer to everybody. And soon my relationships changed for the better more than I would have expected.
Following what I have shown at my own attitude to life, I believe that when we want something we should be willing to change ourselves according to our desires and not expect the surrounding world to change first. It is usually hard to change our personality since it is a mirror of the comfort we have enjoyed during our life, however the moment we change ourselves is always the moment when the world starts to reward us for our effort.
To conclude, I would like to point out that in my opinion we don’t have to try to change the whole world, but everybody should have in mind that with any bigger or smaller change of „self“ the results will come. The greater the change is, the larger part of the world will be influenced. What we give to the world is what we will consequently get from it. Even though this is probably the less debated part of the Tolstoy’s statement, for me it is the more important one.
Josef Hazi
Je mi 19 let a pocházím z nevelkého města na západě Čech – Chebu. Na tamním státním gymnáziu jsem také získal středoškolské vzdělání. Zapojení do matematických a fyzikálních soutěží vedlo k mé účasti na Turnaji mladých fyziků v TianJinu v roce 2009. Po skončení soutěže jsme společně s kapitánem slovenského týmu navštívili malou pekingskou hospůdku. Místní “štamgasti” na nás až nestydatě zírali a nechtěli věřit svým očím, že v jejich podniku sedí Evropané. Pro mě osobně bylo zase neuvěřitelné poslouchat vyprávění slovenského kamaráda o tom, že bude příští rok studovat na univerzitě v Oxfordu. Do této chvíle mi něco takového přišlo zcela nereálné pro obyčejného člověka ze Slovenska či České republiky. Tento večer změnil můj život. Inspirován slovenským kolegou jsem se rozhodl bojovat o místo na Oxordské univerzitě.
Od té doby jsem měl novou prioritu, která ovlivňovala nejednu oblast mého života. Za půl roku jsem zlepšil své jazykové schopnosti o několik tříd a získal certifikát z anglického jazyka, jímž jsem splnil jeden z důležitých požadavků Oxfordské univerzity. Zaměřil jsem svou pozornost na přihlášku v systému UCAS. Personal statement pro mě neznamenal pouze “motivační dopis”, ale vstupenku na jednu z nejprestižnějších univerzit na světě. Získání nejlepších známek u maturity (ano, klasické české maturity), podílení se na výzkumu nanokrystalických diamantových vrstev ve Fyzikálním ústavu v Praze a příprava na interview, to vše byly kroky, které bylo nezbytné podniknout, abych si splnil svůj “čínský” sen. Studijní vytížení jsem si kompenzoval účastí v juniorské volejbalové lize.
Můj cíl vyžadoval jisté oběti, ale zároveň mnoho vzrušení; akedemická interview na Oxfordu byla mou velkou životní zkušeností. Dopis doručený pár dní před Štědrým dnem potvrzující moje přijetí na vysněnou univerzitu se pak stal jedním z nejlepších vánočních dárků, které jsem kdy dostal. Protože studium v zahraničí je finančně velmi náročné. stipendium od Nadace Zdeňka Bakaly pro mě hodně znamená.
Tomáš Kristlík
Více
Tomáš Kristlík
„Chudoba je matkou zločinu“ Marcus Aurelius
Pro hlubší reflexi tohoto konkrétního výroku je určité objasnění základních pojmů nejen žádoucí, ale přímo nezbytné. Vezmeme-li úvodem v úvahu pojem „chudoba“, nabízí se hned několik použitelných konceptů. V kvalitativní rovině tento termín nejčastěji znamená velmi nízký ekonomický status. Nicméně „chudoba“ se může rovněž vztahovat k intelektuálním či duševním nedostatkům, v tom smyslu, že určitá míra ignorance nebo hrubosti může být ve výsledku příčinou zločinu, případně k dalším neekonomickým interpretacím. V kvantitativní rovině existuje zásadní rozdíl mezi „absolutní“ a „relativní“ chudobou. Z ekonomického hlediska „absolutní chudoba“ znamená situaci, kdy jedinec postrádá základní zdroje k zajištění svých primárních potřeb, potravu, pitnou vodu, přístřeší, zdravotní péči, apod. „Relativní chudobou“ mám na mysli situaci, kdy se člověk cítí chudým, například proto, že jezdí pouze běžným automobilem střední třídy, zatímco jeho soused vlastní drahý sportovní vůz.
Podobná klasifikace termínu „zločin“ je rovněž nutná. Zde však bude větší důraz kladen na kvalitativní rozměr problému, jinými slovy, na typologické rozdělení druhů zločinu podle újmy či nebezpečí, kterou ta či ona jeho forma představuje pro společnost. Bez hlubšího průniku do kriminologie nebo právní roviny problému, navrhuji načrtnout linku, kde se na jednom konci nachází kategorie „zločinu bez oběti“, sem patří například hazard, a druhý konec představují zločiny proti lidskosti, terorismus, genocida, apod. Mezi tyto dva extrémy možno zařadit vše od kapsářství, drobných krádeží, vloupání a krádeží automobilů až po závažné trestné činy, jako například útok smrtící zbraní, znásilnění, únos, apod. Přesto, že takto formulovaný koncept je vcelku vágní a obecný, poukazuje na skutečnost, že termín „zločin“ je sám o sobě velice široký, komplikovaný a pro seriózní analýzu znamená nemalou výzvu, kde je každé významnější zjednodušení nevhodné.
Pravděpodobně není třeba se obšírněji věnovat významu použité metafory, že chudoba „je matkou zločinu“. Na druhou stranu nutno zmínit její zásadní význam pro samotný výrok. Pokud je chudoba považována za matku zločinu, implikuje to skutečnost, že chudoba je jediným původcem zločinu. Proto je třeba vyzdvihnout deklarovanou kauzalitu mezi termíny „chudoba“ a „zločin“ tak, jak ji struktura výroku prosazuje.
Výše provedeným rozborem jsem se pokusil naznačit, jak zjednodušujícím zkoumaný výrok je. Vezmeme-li jej do hlubší úvahy, uvědomíme si, jak široké spektrum možných interpretací se nabízí. Pro potřeby další reflexe budu předpokládat, že obecný abstraktní termín „chudoba“ odkazuje na skutečně nízký ekonomický status a „zločin“ znamená závažný trestný čin ohrožující veřejný pořádek, skupinu jedinců nebo samotnou společnost. Kauzalita vyjádřená termínem „je matkou“ pak naznačuje unikátní vztah a vazbu mezi oběma pojmy.
Mám-li vyjádřit svůj názor na daný výrok co nejstručněji, musím prohlásit, že s ním nesouhlasím. Podle mne není možné jednoznačně a nad rámec jakékoli pochybnosti prokázat onen kauzální vztah mezi chudobou a zločinem. V některých případech chudoba může být příčinou a vést ke zločinu, ale obecně se jedná o podstatně komplexnější problém širšího společensko-kulturního kontextu, který je relevantní v určitých podmínkách a za určitých okolností. Takovýto problém nemůže být zjednodušen na pouhé konstatování poukazující na zločin nevyhnutelně vyplývající z chudoby.
Někdo by mohl napadnout můj argument uvedením příkladů, jakými jsou brazilské favely nebo černošská ghetta v USA, kde by se můj názor mohl ukázat nepřesným. Zde mnozí lidé skutečně žijí ve velmi složitých podmínkách. Jejich ekonomický status je někdy až extrémně nízký a obecně se má za to, že schopnost dosáhnout změny aktuálních nepříznivých podmínek je nad jejich síly. Při absenci jakékoli vyhlídky na seriózní zaměstnání se zločin může zdát jediným východiskem z bídy. Z této perspektivy se zločin jeví v podstatě nevyhnutelným. Nikoli proto, že by určití lidé byli nutně zlí, ale proto, že jejich socioekonomické prostředí je nutí zločin spáchat. Takovýto argument, naznačující že na vině je společnost jako celek, že je zodpovědná za jejich mizérii, že společnost z nich činí zločince, shledávám zjednodušujícím a nepřesvědčivým.
Pokud zoufalá ekonomická situace nevyhnutelně vede ke zločinu, jak vysvětlit skutečnost, že existují chudí lidé, kteří zločin nepáchají? Není třeba přesných statistik, aby bylo možné prohlásit, že stejně jako se vyskytnou lidé, kteří se uchylují ke zločinu v důsledku své složité ekonomické situace, rovněž se najdou tací, kteří se snaží s vlastními problémy vypořádat čestně a hledají poctivou cestu ven. Například v Bangladéši, kde většina obyvatelstva žije v absolutní chudobě, nízké kriminální statistiky ukazují, že striktní kauzalita mezi chudobou a zločinem je neprůkazná.
Navzdory nedostatkům zmíněného protiargumentu na chvíli předpokládejme, že nízký ekonomický status skutečně vede ke zločinu. Jak ale potom vysvětlit zločin páchaný lidmi s vysokým ekonomickým i společenským postavením, s tzv. zločinem „bílých límečků“ jako ideálním příkladem a Bernie Madoffem jako jeho prominentním představitelem?
Jak jsem již uvedl dříve, seriózní reflexe daného tématu by vyžadovala hlubší analýzu a klasifikaci termínů spolu s obecným teoretickým pozadím a interpretačním rámcem. Nicméně doufám, že i z této mé vcelku nevědecké úvahy jasně vyplývají nejpodstatnější body. Přesto, že si dokážu představit konkrétní příklady, pro které je výrok platný, obecně neexistuje striktní kauzalita mezi chudobou a zločinem, stejně tak nemůže být chudoba považována za unikátního původce zločinu.
Tomáš Kristlík
Po absolvování šestiletého česko-španělského Gymnázia Budějovická jsem nastoupil k univerzitnímu studiu na Fakultě sociálních věd Univerzity Karlovy, kde jsem získal bakalářský titul na Institutu mezinárodních studií, v oboru Mezinárodní teritoriální studia, a následně i magisterský titul na katedře Amerických studií, v oboru Americká studia. V současné době jsem studentem doktorského studia ve Středisku Ibero-amerických studií Filosofické fakulty UK v oboru Iberoamerikanistika. Můj akademický a výzkumný zájem se soustřeďuje především na moderní dějiny USA, jejich zahraniční a bezpečnostní politiku a obecněji na aktuální bezpečnostní problémy obou amerických kontinentů. V roce 2010 jsem byl nominován na výjezd v rámci meziuniverzitní dohody a strávil zimní semestr na University of Richmond, Virginia. S podporou Nadace Zdeňka Bakaly se nyní mohu ucházet o přijetí na Georgetown University, která nabízí pravděpodobně nejkvalitnější program bezpečnostních studií na světě a jejíž umístění přímo ve Washingtonu, DC, nabízí každému studentovi tohoto oboru neuvěřitelné možnosti nejen dalšího vzdělání a bádání, ale i získání cenných praktických zkušeností v dané problematice.
Jakub Langr
Více
Jakub Langr
Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change himself (L.N.Tolstoy)
“Alarm clock!” That is my only thought in the morning. I try to silence its raucous shrieking before it wakes my roommate. Then I quietly prepare for my A.P. English Literature class. While en route, I ponder what I will do later on. We have a class discussion on The Sound and the Fury – I am not quite sure if I understand the book, so I am looking forward to the class. Never before I have appreciated literature as much – subtle differences in diction can make a great difference in meaning; syntax can shift the tone of passage. I recalled the days of Czech literature – no analysis, no passion for the subject, nothing but a dictate of meanings. Now, I have changed – through inspiring work, I have found the beauty of language.
Real victories do not come for free. The most important victories are those that we achieve with great effort. The very issues that constantly present us with those challenges make us better. They are the ones that take us out of our usual routine and place us in a new environment where we have to learn how to live again; the ones that cause us to change ourselves. I once made such a decision – to go study in the U.S., when I was awarded a highly-selective ASSIST scholarship to study at a private boarding institution, The McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I am certain that it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.
In a way, all of my experiences there have changed the world, my world, and I believe that I have changed the world of at least some. From Jack Hoyt, my American roommate, I learned to make fun of myself when times are tough; from Seung Moon Lee from Korea, I learned to dare to pursue my dreams; from Bharath Venkatesh, I learned that only hard work yields meaningful results. Building friendships across cultural divides was one of the aspects of this experience that I valued very much. I adapted to the new circumstances; I changed myself through tireless efforts.
However, American education changed me even more. This education gave me the opportunity not only to apply myself, but also to meet new people from all over the world. The experience of being introduced to and gaining an understanding of new approaches to life, new cultures or completely new ideas was always eye-opening. I also sought and will continue to seek something that makes me grow personally and change myself as much as my stay at McCallie School did: there, my teachers also became my friends and mentors; they encouraged independent thought; and the class discussions were precursors to what we were about to do – independent research. Again, this is something I love, yet something that Czech education does not seem to encourage as much.
Another vast change of my personality came with English Debate. It got me in touch with some of the most intelligent and talented people I know. But I soon found refuge among those people – I know that I have learned a lot from them, everything from acquiring new vocabulary to reinventing my personal relationships. I have improved not only personally, but also in terms of my debating skills: I won the World Online Debating Championship with a Czech team, and then placed better than the Czech team as captain of a diverse U.S. team in the International Public Policy Forum.
However, these accomplishments required no sacrifice – I was glad to do it. My limited experience with discomfort made my experience of helping others so much more worthwhile. With effort, the change acquires new significance; I had to change myself in order to do it. Waking up early and sacrificing my Saturday to go to Habitat for Humanity is a small example, but it is an experience that bettered me. Staying up late to fulfill my duties as a volunteer translator for Greenpeace was a valuable experience, as was the summer I spent volunteering for Člověk v Tísni or fundraising for cancer research as part of Sluníčkový Den.
Everyone dreams of changing the world. But when actual change is asked of them to make these dreams come true, the dichotomy between dreams and real-life issues, like changing oneself, comes into play – the latter comes packed with real, distinguishable problems. When we merely dream of change, but do not thoroughly deliberate on how to do it, we realize that changing oneself is too protracted, too real to be easy. I had the same qualms when I was deciding whether to organize the student elections at my Czech school. That is the point where ideas, like dreams, turn to reality – and problems start to appear. I came to appreciate that, however, because it is the challenge that has educational value. Many people give up at this point and resort back to dreams. Nevertheless, I decided to go through with this plan and it was enriching, because it showed me the intricacies and processes of good organization.
This is exactly the kind of involvement that foreign schools encourage, for they are valuable both to the individual and the school or society. These events constituted a small evolution of the parts of my character that I value the most. At the same time, they helped me to realize that I seek education abroad. I want to pursue a path in which I can apply my skills, something that foreign institutions focus on and develop.
The difference between dreams and change is our willingness to take our dreams seriously. There will always be problems, since there is neither a perfect plan nor perfect preparation, but we must take a leap of faith – and either fly or crash. I have a dream of attending a university abroad, where I know I will be able to apply myself and help the school to grow, just as the school will help me to develop.
Jakub Langr
Jsem uvězněn v těle vášnivého debatéra a moje nadšení pro debatu přineslo České Republice mnohé úspěchy. Ať už kolektivní, jako naše vítězství v World Online Debating Championship, či invididuální, jako moje umístění jako druhý nejlepší řečník v World KP Debate Tournament, druhý za Britským debatérem. Mám mysl ekonoma a díky tomu se mi podařilo dostat se na druhé místo v národní soutěži Youth Business Conference ve dvou rozdílných kategoriích. Mám duši umělce – se svými přáteli jsme vyhráli dvě národní soutěže a jsem jedním ze zákládajících členů Alea – našeho školního časopisu v Gymnáziu nad Alejí. Také jsem se snažil pomáhat – jedno ze svých lét jsem strávil jako dobrovolník v Člověku v Tísni a také jsem zorganizoval školní simulaci voleb do parlamentu v roce 2010 či Debatiádu na své škole.
Jana Lohrová
Více
Jana Lohrová
Rozena, vychovávána i vzdělávana jsem až doposud byla v Praze. Díky tomu se mi otevřela brána na výborné Gymnázium Nad Alejí, kde jsem měla možnost proniknout jak do studia jazyků tak i nejrůznějších mimoškolních aktivit (za zmínku stojí mé šestileté zastupování třídy ve studentské radě, dvojnásobné organizování a moderování školní Akademie, spoluzakladatelství úspěšného školního časopisu, debatovaní v anglickém jazyce či dlouholeté členství ve školním sboru). Zejména díky svým nejbližším přátelům jsem pronikla i do „intelektuálních“ aktivit jako je model OSN a NATO při Pražském Studentském Summitu či už zmíněná debata, v které jsem měla tu čest Českou Republiku dvakrát reprezentovat na mistrovství světa (za osobní úspěch pak považuji individuální umístění jako 11. nejlepší mluvčí ESL, s angličtinou jako druhým jazykem, na mistrovství světa 2011). Od těchto aktivit při kteých je naprosto nezbytné kriticky uvažovat už chyběl jen krůček k poohlížení se po vzdělávacím systému který by více odrážel právě takovýto přístup. A tak se stalo, že jsem od září 2010 nastoupila jako stipendijní studentka na ISP, Mezinárodní školu v Praze v Nebušicích. V současné době se tedy připravuji na mezinárodní maturitu IB včetně dvou věd, biologie a chemie, na vyšší úrovni. V budoucnu bych se pravděpodobně ráda věnovala molekulární biologii, zejména genetice a genetickému inženýrství – na podobné obory se tedy hlásím na pět britských univerzit včetně Oxfordu. Protože však ještě nemám ve svém budoucím uplatnění a životě zdaleka jasno, nejraději bych studovala na jedné z amerických univerzit kde je možné vyzkoušet si mnohem více předmětů a posléze studovat i dva zdánlivě nesouvisející obory najednou. Podávám tedy přihlášky na některé univerzity Ivy League, avšak i na menší liberal arts colleges.
Petr Matěják
Více
Petr Matěják
Petr Matěják narozen 1988, na housle hraje od tří let, protože se chtěl vyrovnat své starší sestře. Byl žákem prof. Evy Bublové, prof. Jiřího Fišera na Pražské Konzervatoři (2004-2010), prof. Idy Kavafian na Curtis Institute of Music ve Philadelphii (2006-2010) a od roku 2010 studuje na Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler v Berlíně u prof.Evy Schönweiß.
Vyhrál Houslovou soutěž Josefa Muziky (2003), je absolutním vítězem (držitelem zvláštní ceny za mimořádný výkon) Kociánovy houslové soutěže v Ústí nad Orlicí (2004), Mezinárodní houslové soutěže v Cremoně v Itálii (2004), Mezinárodní houslové soutěže v Dubaji ve Spojených Arabských Emirátech (2005) a držitelem druhé ceny a zvláštního ocenění za mimořádnou interpretaci klacisistní skladby na mezinárodní soutěži Paul Hindemith v Berlíně (2011). Je též vítězem Houslových kurzů Václava Hudečka v Luhačovicích (2003). S Václavem Hudečkem absolvoval turné 25ti koncertů po České republice. Hrál s řadou orchestrů doma i v zahraničí, Pražská komorní filharmonie, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Luxemburg Symphony Orchestra atd.
Dominik Miketa
Více
Dominik Miketa
From his essay . . . .
"It may have been the profound conversation you had last night, or the night before that, or maybe it is the book you are just about to finish. Often the pivotal moment subtly approaches before striking hard. I suspect that this is especially true of young minds striving to find a consistent and robust worldview. Youth is a time of great confusion, brought about by the destruction of a great number of naïve beliefs; it is the age when the human mind is full of holes that need to be filled. I have experienced such an intellectual tremor, and quite recently, too."
Dominik Miketa
Jsem studentem prvního ročníku na University of Oxford, kde studuji fyziku a filozofii. Můj zájem o oba předměty pramení z účasti na několika vědeckých soustředěních, na něž jsem jel z důvodů ne výlučně fyzikálních. Překvapilo mě, jak zábavná fyzika je a fascinovaly mě její filozofické kořeny. Jsem silně přesvědčen, a nacházím pro to podporu v argumentech i materiálních důkazech, že věda je jedinou správnou metodou pro pochopení tohoto světa, že má co říci lidem i mimo laboratoř, a že je relevantní i pro archetypálně humanitní otázky. Tento postoj určuje vše, co dělám, a mohu s klidným srdcem říct, že mě definuje i jako člověka.
Sara Polaková
Více
Sara Polaková
"Poverty is the mother of crime." (Marcus Aurelius)
If poverty is the mother of crime, who is the father? Marcus Aurelius failed to specify this, yet it is crucial for this essay. In reaction to this, I will discuss the following points: what poverty and crime actually mean in different contexts, how and why poverty is often the principal cause of crime, and most importantly, I will examine other factors that might prompt criminal behaviour. More specifically, the key trigger I will discuss is human nature, which was not only causing criminality in Ancient Rome, but continues to do so nowadays, for example in cases of white-collar crime. I will finish by discussing Marcus Aurelius himself, and to what extent his observations are relevant nowadays.
The definition of poverty is relative. To us, as ‘Westerners’, it is arguably the lack of luxuries such as electronics and an inability to participate fully in the urban, fashionable lifestyle. This can be interpreted as relative poverty, where the income is neither too high nor too low, but restricts the individual in many ways. We also recognize absolute poverty: with support of the media, various charities and NGOs portray this as lack of essentials such as electricity and running water, targeting their activities mainly on the ‘Third World’.
That is one version. Poverty as a ‘lack of something’ comes in many non-obvious forms, which perhaps Aurelius did not consider. How about emotional poverty? A child never hugged by his mother – is this not a form of deprivation? Or a rejection from a university one wanted to attend since childhood? To me, poverty is the state of not being to achieve one’s happiness and satisfaction, either through material, economic, emotional, psychological or biological barriers.
Crime as such is however not restricted to poverty. White-collar crime is, as Sutherland described it in 1939, "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation." In Aurelius’ time, they had not yet invented crimes such as stealing copyrighted materials, hacking or identity theft. It is arguable whether new technology and social organisation develops new crime. Scandals like Watergate (or, arguably, numerous recent ones in Czech politics) and white-collar crime in general, reflect how crime adapts itself to the time period and specific society. Human nature? Probably, since it is committed by humans so craftily in the first place.
Marcus Aurelius was an honorable emperor. He despised crime and ‘barbarianism’, much of which he encountered on numerous military conquests. He saw the correlation between Roman poverty and everyday crime such as stealing. However, I see human selfishness, instinct and opportunism as the real parents of crime – after all, both chimpanzees and dolphins have been proven to rape and assault their own species. The praying mantis eats her husband. Is ‘crime’ a natural, selfish instinct allowing us to survive and create the best possible conditions for ourselves? Perhaps it is best to conclude with another of Aurelius’ quotes: ‘The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.’ Arguably we all wrestle our way through life at all times, which includes committing different forms of crime, whether we are impoverished or not. Marcus Aurelius did not live to see how his heir Commodus, a wealthy, educated and ‘enlightened’ man, destroyed the empire with his criminal behaviour. Perhaps if Marcus Aurelius had witnessed the downfall of the empire to which he gave birth, he would reevaluate his comment.
Sara Polaková
Je to již rok co jsem nastoupila na University of Oxford a byl to právě tento životní krok, o kterém vím, že dramaticky změní život jak mě tak mým budoucím dětem. Studuji obor archeologie a antropologie, o kterém se mnoho lidí domnívá, že se sestává ze slepování střepů či prohrabování se lidskými ostatky. Já však věřím, žemá neuvěřitelnou budoucnost. Zvláště pak magisterské studium ‚medical anthropology‘ na které se již připravuji, a který má za cíl vyzkoumat nové termické léčebné metody. Mimo studia na Oxfordu bych se nadále ráda věnovala svým koníčkům jako je šerm, hra na klarinet, lyžování, koně, či hraní v divadle. Mým největším plánem však zůstává mít děti, kterým všechno nabyté vědění budu moci předat a přispět tak do nové generace která může ovlivnit svět, ve kterém žijeme.
Patrik Procházka
Více
Patrik Procházka
"Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change himself." (L.N. Tolstoy)
Many people want to change the world instead of themselves, because they feel better qualified to affect this kind of external change than to attempt to change themselves. They believe that any alteration to themselves will seriously interfere with their personal freedom. Or they simply do not see the need to make any personal change. Sadly, these people are too often unaware of their narrow and closed-minded attitude.
My perception of the opening quotation brings me to the strong link between changing oneself and leadership: “Leadership requires selflessness. The will to serve and sacrifice for others, the willingness to set aside our wants and needs in seeking the greatest good for others; this is what it means to be selfless. This is what it means to be a leader. “
If someone wants to change the world, he has to be a great leader. He has to lead people through their weaknesses and setbacks, even if it means inventing something revolutionary or supporting others as they fight for their cause. As he travels through life, determined to seek goodness for others, he has to learn and take in experiences, so that he can adapt to a variety of situations. He knows that everybody makes mistakes, so he endeavours to improve his overall personality. But only an academic environment of the highest quality can enable him to rise to the greatest challenges. Without such an education, backed by a range of life skills and experiences, he unfortunately cannot do anything, because he lacks the knowledge and experience necessary to understand how and what to do with these factors.
Everyone must make personal changes in order to change humanity. At the very least, they must forego their own needs in order to focus on the needs of others. Many people go their entire lives without learning this vital fact. On the other hand, there are people who are really determined to change themselves, specifically with the goal of affecting their own fate. They often force themselves to face adversity alone, even in the worst possible circumstances. They apply their own expansive and valuable experiences and knowledge to what people really need. In such a life, they meet many admirable people and hear many stories of people facing tough challenges. This, alongside a great education, is why they know what is important in life: mainly, it is the support they receive from family and friends. In addition, they appreciate that they need support from those who have the ability and power to make decisions that take advantage of opportunities to enrich people’s lives. As I find myself in this exact situation, this is my point of view.
I remember that, when I was a child, I yearned to be an ordinary boy, living and studying somewhere in my native country, experiencing a perfectly normal childhood, without the ever-present knowledge of what an invalid's life is like, but I knew that I would never have that life. One month after my birth, I got pneumonia and fell unconscious. I survived, and I had to change myself and adapt to the life circumstances that were given to me. Literally, I had to fight for my life, through many dark moments and situations, to learn to face my destiny and fight for my goals with much more power and an unwavering conviction not to give up. Everything was more difficult for me. My disability made me unable to walk, to do something that is normal and natural for others. My goal is to walk, and I do everything I can to achieve it. It has enriched my quality of life immeasurably. I have learned to spend much more of my energy on achieving my dreams and goals. I have had to change myself many times to get closer to my goals. Simply put, this is the knowledge I want to provide to society: per aspera ad astra.
WEE, David. Are your people better off when they leave than when they got there?. Available from the Internet: http://www.leader-values.com/Content/detail.asp?ContentDetailID=1294, day accessed 06/18/11.
Patrik Procházka
Hlavní prioritou každého z nás je žít plnohodnotný, smysluplný život, který zlepšuje a obohacuje životy druhých. I já to považuji za svou prioritu. Život mě naučil, že není nic, čeho bychom nebyli schopni dosáhnout, pokud si pevně stanovíme své cíle a neúnavně pracujeme na jejich dosažení. To je důvod, proč jsem se rozhodl hlásit na ty nejprestižnější univerzity ve Spojených státech amerických, abych za pevné podpory Nadace Zdeňka Bakaly získal nejkvalitnější vzdělání a zkušenosti, propojil je se svými dosavadními přednostmi a bezezbytku naplnil všechny své cíle. Po ukončení střední školy bych se rád zabýval studiem psychologie na některé z nejprestižnějších univerzit, jako jsou například Stanford, Yale, nebo University of California in Berkeley. Zároveň působím jako dobrovolník "na volné noze" – pomáhám těm, kteří to potřebují, využitím a prohlubováním svých zkušeností spolu se získáváním nových. Mým cílem je informovat veřejnost a dodávat energii a optimismus lidem se zdravotním znevýhodněním i bez něj.
Terezie Täubelová
Více
Terezie Täubelová
"Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change himself." (L.N. Tolstoy)
Tolstoy’s sentence applies to individual human beings but also to larger social entities like states. The desired goal or the perception of the ideal outcome are not very often matched by sufficient will to fulfill them.
Earlier this month, the outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave a grave assessment of the state of the NATO alliance, saying that the U.S. was carrying an undue financial and moral burden for other NATO countries who are either unable or unwilling to pay they fair share for their own defenses. Thus, the U.S., weighed down by its own huge budget deficits, pays about 70 percent of NATO’s overall budget. However, the discrepancy in defense spending U.S. and other member countries is only one symptom of the crucial phenomenon dividing the transatlantic alliance.
According to Robert Kagan's theory, Europeans live in a postmodern Kantian paradise, whose security is only assured by U.S. strength stemming from the perception that the world is based on the Hobbesian principles. Since the end of WWII, Europe has been moving from hard powerpolitics to a self-contained world of laws and transnational negotiation and cooperation. The U.S., on the other hand, has had sometimes to use hard power as international law are not often the ultimate guarantee of peace and security. In the Hobbesian world, the true security still depends on the possession and use of military might. In Kagan’s opinion, any potential aggressor to Europe knows that he would have to face the U.S.- and that it is the only reason that E.U. has not experienced any international conflict since 1945.
However, the use of force, almost always aimed at stopping humanitarian crises, has not disappeared from the European toolbox indefinitely. The results are, however, dismal. Very recently, we witnessed, as Gates said, the Europe's “punch(ing) well above their weight fighting in Libya”, with a result of running short of munition just in a couple of weeks. Once again, the U.S. was to make up the difference.
E.U. countries are fond of lofty criticisms of autocratic regimes, but many of them refuse to want to actually significantly contribute to the alliance, preferring to leave it to a broke “big brother” to pick up the tab. The E.U. plans for common defense policy remains a fuzzy, empty concept, with E.U. “allies” constantly at odds over policy. this impotence to contribute sufficiently to a trustworthy security arrangement does not weaken the E.U.’s external policy, but has a profound impact on its own security. In 2008, after Russia invaded Georgia, Baltic States begged for a coherent defense plan. Their defense became an integral part of the NATO’s contingency planning, but this arrangement will expire in 2014. And the assumption that debt-laden NATO countries will not be willing to contribute to the defense of the Baltic states is not implausible. So if we think there IS a threat and the eastern states should be the ones afraid and pushing for common protection - should it not be in our most interest to keep the alliance in a good shape?
Today's NATO is busier than ever and works with more partners than ever. We live in a world which is more complex, the local has gone global. Before it was the Iron curtain – the Soviet Union―which “protected” us with a bone-crushing hug. Judging from our unwillingness to pay and contribute effectively to our own now NATO defenses, maybe our complaining was disingenuous?
Maybe we want something for nothing.
Perhaps Moscow is not in the mood or condition to roll tanks into Prague today. However, there are certainly other profound challenges to our freedom and security. Threat of cyber-attacks that can inflict a massive damage in nanoseconds, proliferation of nuclear materials, means we still need effective alliances and partnerships ― and none are more needed than NATO. That is why it is so important that all alliance’s members invest in and possess the defense capabilities necessary to meet our collective responsibilities.
Maybe it is time for Europe, despite the economic crisis, to finally take the responsibility for its actions and stop waiting for an answer from someone else. Europe has to make the choice: if it wants to make a change, it has to change itself in the first place. The Kantian paradise the E.U. wants to live in is great, but whether we like it or not, there are wolfs in the backyard.
Terezie Täubelová
Narodila jsem se v roce 1986. V roce 2010 jsem ukončila bakalářské studium na Fakultě humanitních studií Univerzity Karlovy v Praze. Zároveň studuji Právnickou fakultu Univerzity Karlovy. Rok jsem strávila na střední škole v USA a v rámci programu Erasmus jsem jeden rok studovala na Universidad de Valencia ve Španělsku. Od příštího roku bych ráda studovala na Columbia University mezinárodní vztahy a bezpečnostní studia. V současné době pracuji na Ministerstvu zahraničních věcí jako Public Affairs Officer pro Provinční rekonstrukční tým v afghánském Lógaru.
Tomáš Zeman
Více
Tomáš Zeman
“Everyone wants to change the world but no one wants to change himself.” (L. N. Tolstoy)
If anything, the quotation is incredibly vague. The trouble starts with the word “change,” as one cannot really be sure what exactly it is supposed to mean in this context. “Changing the world” can be done in many different ways, from simply living (there is no doubt that things would have taken a slightly different course if you or I were not born – who knows, maybe we are destined to save humanity), which most people seem to be quite keen on doing, to wiping out the human race, which, luckily, is the life goal of a much smaller portion of the population, especially these days. Likewise, when someone says he is changing himself, he can have almost anything in mind. Maybe he is cutting down on fatty foods and sweets, or he has decided to spend the rest of his life a Hindu monastery somewhere in the mountain ranges of Nepal, or neither.
Absurd as they may be, these examples do shed some light on the most obvious meaning of Tolstoy's quotation. It is deceptively easy to change the world because all you have to do is sit around – as I have already said, every action has far-reaching consequences. Another reason why the first choice offered in the quotation is so popular becomes obvious when you imagine what a person wishing to change the world would say: “The world needs to change,” or in Czech, “Svět se musí změnit,” or in German, “Die Welt muss sich ändern.” Note that each of these exclamations, though they look like active constructions, is actually a concealed passive voice statement (at least from the semantic point of view) and misses the agent (the entity that carries out the action). Mind you, the world is not going to change itself, even though the above consideration suggests that people wish it would. But it is not difficult to see what the agent would have been had it been included: other people. Yes, is it not easy to say that the world should change and then sit back, relax and watch others do the job? A slight variation on this is what the Czech trade unions are doing at the moment, that is, to say how the world should be in your opinion and then make other people's lives miserable until they give up and do things your way.
So that is it for changing the world. Why is it, on the other hand, so difficult to change oneself? Well, for one thing, you cannot achieve it by not doing anything which, as we showed earlier, is an effective way of changing everything but you. Second, CONSVETVDO QVASI ALTERA NATVRA EFFICI, or “Habit is, as it were, a second nature,” as Marcus Tullius Cicero said. Ask yourself: what is the most natural and least dubious thing in the world for you? I bet the answer is your very existence, the way you are and live and think. Descartes used it as the starting point of his philosophy, as did Kant, Husserl, and many others, and I believe that for most people, their existence is the cornerstone, or axiom, of their conscious life, even though they might have never articulated it in their thoughts. And who would be willing to change that? If you look at things from the outside, then changing oneself equals suicide because when you alter your characteristic traits, the result is no longer you, it is someone who just happens to be very similar to you (and the fact that he thinks he is you means nothing – just like I would not turn into Isaac Newton if I believed I were him).
But we can explain things in a much more down-to-earth manner, and I think we will be much closer to Tolstoy's original intended meaning: people usually think only the best of themselves. Everyone believes he is special in some way, and not few of us are convinced of their seminal import to the rest of humanity and the world in general. It is only logical that such a person feels competent to change the world. After all, when the need for a change arises, what begs to be altered – the infallible self or the corrupt world?
This reminds me of a beautiful – and true – quotation by George Bernard Shaw: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” Let us discuss this some other time. Now I just wonder what it implies about Count Tolstoy...
Tomáš Zeman
Narodil jsem se a většinu svého dosavadního života strávil v Praze. Svá středoškolská studia jsem započal na osmiletém Gymnáziu Jana Keplera, v sextě jsem však vyhrál tříměsíční pobyt na britské Winchester College, jenž se díky mým studijním výsledkům protáhl na dva roky a byl završen získáním britské obdoby maturity a přijetím na University of Cambridge, kde nyní v prvním ročníku studuji matematiku. Na střední škole jsem se pravidelně účastnil předmětových olympiád v matematice a fyzice a dvakrát jsem se probojoval až na Mezinárodní matematickou olympiádu. Jsem vášnivým čtenářem.
František Zich
Jak se mi navzdory mému handicapu daří studovat? Tuto otázku si v podstatě pokládám často. Víte, je lehké začít studovat když jste upoutaný na invalidním vozíku, protože při čtení rozhodnutí o přijetí na vysokou školu nemůžete domyslet, co to bude všechno obnášet. Je to o neustálém balancování, řešení „problémů“ a zdolávání překážek,ať už těch fyzických či psychických. Nejdříve vás ani ve snu nenapadne, že po úspěšném sjednání osobní asistence se vám rozhodne někdo rozkopat nejvhodnější, dá se říci jedinou příjezdovou cestu k fakultě. Že se budete muset brodit blátem a štěrkem. A ne, aby vás napadlo, že to bude trvat cca dva roky. Nevíte, že vám budou končit přednášky jako naschvál ve chvíli, kdy odjíždí nízkopodlažní tramvaj a celou hodinu nepojede žádná. Časová ztráta vám samozřejmě rozhodí celý zbývající denní plán. Nevíte jak těžké bude skloubit rehabilitaci se studiem, když ani z jednoho nechcete ustoupit. Nenapadne vás, že zapadnete v prvním sněhu a nebude v silách asistenta vás dopravit na fakultu. A pokud nezapadnete a absolvujete celou cestu až na fakultu stane se tak pravděpodobně v době, kdy budou meteorologové hlásit nejsilnější mrazy za celé zkouškové období. Poznáte pravý význam pojmu zmrzlý jak rampouch a obyčejný horký čaj se promění v božský nektar. Nemůžete předpokládat, že si opaříte ruku a zbývající důležitou část a závěr bakalářské práce budete muset „nadatlovat“ takříkajíc jedním prstem protože neovládáte prsty zbývající. Na začátku vlastně nevíte vůbec nic. Až zpětně, když už máte splněny všechny povinné, volitelné předměty a odevzdanou bakalářskou práci si můžete položit otázku: „Byly to opravdu překážky, když se je podařilo překonat?“
Pokud se tedy obklopíte lidmi, kteří jsou vám ochotni pomáhat, měli byste dojít k závěru, že překážky neexistují.
