Czech Culture Shock

The other day a woman came to the university and did an entire presentation on the differences of Czech culture as opposed to The States. The first thing she said was “Pessimism is the key to happiness.” She went on and on about how Czechs kill optimism, negatively define everything, complain constantly, and like it as quietly as possible in public places. When she was presenting I was absolutely shocked, because if you know me you know that I’m always raving about how everything is mental, and how if you have a good outlook then you are capable of handling anything and everything thrown at you. At first, I was so confused and had so many questions: are they happy? Are they aware that they are unhappy? What makes them happy? Is the reason they complain a lot because they complain a lot? To me, I saw that the reason they are grumpy and come across as rude is because it has been a staple of Czech culture for so long, so they complain not because they are upset, but rather because it is the norm. I thought and still kind of think that they are totally unaware of the fact that they are making themselves less happy because it’s what they’re used to. I asked one of the American students who had lived in Prague for the last 5 or so years, and she gave me a whole history lesson. She explained since the Czech Republic was under communism for so long hope was absent and spies made everyone keep to themselves. They didn’t really have a choice, so therefore the pessimistic attitude has naturally been passed down throughout generations. It was crazy to me because the country was liberated in 1989, so everyone older than 35ish faced communism. That's only like 14 years before I was born! This just happened! Once I wrapped my head around that I started to understand, but it still makes me sad that such a large group of people live that way. She told me people weren’t happy, but she tries to show the Czechs by helping those around her that not all people want the worst for you, and that doing things for others lifts you and others up. All of this reminded me of how lucky I am to have had such different circumstances growing up that shaped my mind and therefore reality. None of this changed how I view achieving and living a happy life, but my perspective has shifted as I want to teach those around me that everything can be great if you open your mind and allow it to be. 

Maya Kollme 2/1/24