Highlander Zen Philosophy: What Do Polish Highlanders Teach Buddhist Monks? Józef Broda

This practice is the culmination of Broda's life philosophy. After the death of his wife of 53 years, he fell into a deep crisis. He describes a terrifying experience of 'nothingness' during a pain attack, which he interprets as a vision of hell—the absolute absence of another person. 'Samowzbudność' is his active, willed response to this. It's not passive optimism but a forceful decision to 'raise one's head,' to smile at oneself in the mirror, to thank God for the ability to touch one's own face, and to actively seek out encounters that give life meaning. He credits the interview itself as an act of 'samowzbudność,' stating that the host gave him more than he could give, providing a reason to want to get up the next morning.

Broda frames 'samowzbudność' as a crucial skill to develop by the age of 70 or 80. It is the ability to 'raise one's head' when you start to lose your sense of purpose, especially after losing a life partner. He describes the alternative as 'looking into the mole's hole'—a metaphor for the beginning of the end, a descent into non-existence. He shares a harrowing personal story of a recurring pain that felt like being impaled, which he fought off by sheer will, refusing to take a painkiller until he passed out. In that state, he experienced a terrifying 'nothing'—neither big nor small, light nor dark—which he identifies as the true hell: the absence of another person. This experience, paradoxically, reinforced his faith and his understanding that hell is the lack of connection. 'Samowzbudność' is therefore not just positive thinking; it's a vital, life-saving struggle against this 'nothingness' by actively seeking connection and purpose, often through encounters like the one he had with the host.

Broda argues that the phrase 'human resources' is a fundamental violation of human dignity. He equates it to a raw material like wood, water, or grain. For him, a person ('osoba') is an unrepeatable, sacred entity, not a resource to be managed or optimized. This linguistic dehumanization is, in his view, the root of many modern problems, where people are seen as tools for profit or efficiency rather than as ends in themselves. This connects to his broader critique of the 'rat race' where a child becomes just another object on a market of objects, valued for its competitive edge (languages, grades) rather than its inherent being.