One step further every day

German language is relatively easy. “All those of us that know a derived language from Latin like Portuguese language and are used to conjugate some verbs can learn it quickly…” That’s what the German language teacher said at the first lesson.

Let’s go… To illustrate such a simplicity, imagine that we will study an example. First, we take a book in German, in this case a magnificent and beautiful leathered book, published in Dortmund, and that is about the uses and way of life of the Australian Indians Hotentotes (in German, “Hottentotten“). I could swear that those Hotentotes were from Africa, well…I could be wrong, at last.

The book teaches that the kangaroos (Beutelratten) are captured and put in cages (Kotter) covered with a canvas (Lattengitter) to protect them from the elements. Those cages, in German, are called “cages covered with canvas” (Lattengitterkotter) and, when they have inside a kangaroo, we call all the group as “cage covered with canvas with a kangaroo” (Lattengitterkotterbeutelratten).

One day, the hotentotes arrested a murderer (Attentäter), accused of having killed the Hotentote (Hottentotter) mother (Mutter) (a Hottentottermutter) of a deaf and mute boy (Stottertrottel). That woman, in German, is called Hottentottenstottertrottelmutter and, her murderer, we call easily Hottentottenstottertrottelmutterattentäter.

In the book, the Indians caught him and, without having where to put him, they used a kangaroo cage (Beutelrattenlattengitterkotter). But, incidentally, the prisoner escaped. After they began the search, quickly came up a Hotentote warrior screaming:

- We caught the murderer (Attentäter)!

- What?? - asked the chief.

- Lattengitterkotterbeutelratterattentäter - the warrior answered.

- Who? The murderer that was in the cage of kangaroos covered with canvas? - the chief of the Hotentotes asks.

- Yes - answers the native with great difficulty - Hottentottenstottertrottelmutteratentäter (The murder of the deaf and mute boy’s mother).

- Ah - the chief says - you could have said since the beginning that you had caught the Hottentotterstottertrottelmutterlattengitterkotterbeutelrattenattentäter!

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Am remarcat o tendinta din ce in ce mai acuta “sa ne plangem de Romania” si “sa injuram guvernul din Romania”. Bineinteles, nu ma refer numai la persoanele care traiesc efectiv in Romania, ci si la persoanele de 30-50 ani care au ales calea strainatatii de ani de zile.

“Este rau in Romania” aud de la foarte multi oameni care au anumite asteptari, anumite vise. Insa aceste asteptari nu sunt bazate pe realitate, ci pe o lume ideala, din mintea lor. Astfel, in loc sa accepte traficul idiot ce a napadit Bucurestiul, oamenii se enerveaza pe zi ce trece tot mai mult. Pai, cum sa nu te enervezi daca iti cumperi ultimul model de Logan sau Mertz si te astepti sa ai toata soseaua numai a ta? Si cum sa nu te enervezi cand ai acelasi Opel de cinci ani si vezi ca deodata faci patru ore pe zi pe drum, cand acum cinci ani faceai doar una singura? Dar acum intervin eu si intreb: Daca te enervezi, mergi mai repede la munca?

De mult am impresia ca cea mai mare crima facuta de comunism a fost, de fapt, demoralizarea oamenilor, precum si “inlenesirea” lor. Multi zic “romanii sunt lenesi” referindu-se concret la turnat asfalt, sapat gropi sau mai stiu eu ce alta munca fizica. Eu zic insa ca romanii nu stiu decat sa se planga (demoralizare), in timp ce efectiv unde ar putea sa schimbe ceva stau resemnati si se uita (lene). De ce, atunci cand iei romanii si ii pui in firme mari, competitive, ei reusesc? Pentru ca acei romani au primit un branci inainte, sa iasa din demoralizare si au uitat de lene.

Asadar, o sa folosesc o sintagma bine inradacinita: Romani, trezirea! Nu va mai plangeti atat. Daca nu va convine o situatie, schimbati-o. Avem drept de vot (sau de a nu vota), avem curent in casa si apa la robinet. Avem paine la magazin si bani ca sa mergem in concedii in Grecia, Spania, Bulgaria. Avem si bani din cand in cand sa mergem la Mamaia si Sinaia. Avem mall-uri si hipermarket-uri. Si ne consideram, fiecare in parte, civilizati. Asadar, de ce va plangeti?

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