Some people say life doesn’t change, no matter the circumstances. I say it does change, but the problem is getting others to accept that change. There is no problem with change itself; the struggle is to make those around you, and those watching you, change their lenses when it comes to you. The truth — well, the truth is that nobody accepts such an upgrade from Polaroid to Chanel polarized lenses. Sometimes one can buy approval for change, but if the stakes are very high, no amount of money in the world can do that. It’s 100% risk: you either live or die. All your friends and family will predict, with full certainty, failure, because people never change, according to their view, and, most importantly, it can’t happen if you’re being watched all the time. Can one escape one’s own family if one makes a lot of money? Only in the Bible can one find such cases. Only Christianity accepts full transformation from bad to good. I’m afraid — and that’s bad news — that globalization does not. There is too much money at stake. Money entrapment. I guess there is no place in the world where a person can live without money, not even in a monastery. And that is where we are now: in the certainty of the failure of any change, because the world is heavily connected and nobody knows anymore what a normal life is. I thought I had one, and I was wrong to believe it. Why? Because it’s an endless queue of individuals chasing money, most of the time public money, following other people’s directions; and because they are not able to make any decisions by themselves, they lack inspiration and are therefore desperate to imitate others. Being stupid means not understanding the difference between imitation and inspiration. The first is recommended to obedient people who do not dare change even a vowel, even if it is completely wrong, and the second involves risk and adaptation to one’s personality. Stupid adults imitate; smart adults let themselves be inspired. The problem is when you fall into the hands of imitators, who are very numerous. You can buy the same clothes, but you cannot be in somebody else’s spirit. Instinct keeps people alive, but smartness is also greatly shaped by school. School simply allows one’s mind to spin and twist and twirl until the right way out is pointed out. One’s mind is like a ball: it wins the game if it is moved strategically and with the right team. Knowing the composition of the ball and the qualities of the surfaces it is played on helps a lot. Finding out all these elements of knowledge is called training your mind. Both mind and body need training. If they work separately, others will win the game. Another challenge is finding the right team, and sometimes one needs to work only with those available. This is why good manners and having the option of returning to a relationship are very important. It can take only one second to change status from rich to poor, or the other way around. Money itself is a headache, unless you are a writer and you enjoy writing about other people’s behavior in your presence. Money itself is not valuable; how people react to it is priceless. I dare say that the test of any relationship in the world — love, friendship, neighborhood, family — is the emergence of a hugely rich member within that specific circle. God forbid that there might be an obstacle, especially a human one, standing at the gates of wealth. If you are inwardly dead, only money can save you; this is, at least, how you feel. Let us also talk about the behavior of the newly rich, being told by everybody that he or she deserves more than he or she has. That person becomes almost indestructible, behaves badly, curses, and demands obedience, while pretending to be miserable next to those no longer wanted. Quite a test of character. The thing is, the world loves nasty, bitchy, rich characters. If you’re rich, you’re supposed to be like that. At the end of the day, what is money for? It is meant to allow humans who own it to be, become, and behave differently from commoners. Lords and commoners. Money allows people who are bad to act accordingly, to show their true face; otherwise, manners are imposed. I think I might be in a situation right now that allows me to study such a character. Unlimited power with one human impediment (that should be me). An interesting quest for survival, don’t you think? Too interesting to my bones, if you ask me. The human obstacle wants to keep living in the home of both. Well, I think Machiavelli would be of help, Napoleon would definitely solve the issue, but at a huge price, and Sun Tzu could use it for a new rule in The Art of War. I, as a teacher and former diplomat, team up only with my brain and act under God’s merciful influence. Being a modern woman (at least, this is what I think of myself), I see myself as a valuable ally, not a human vulnerability. Smartness and the quest for progress make people allies, not gender. A table and a chair have a different effect than two tables or two chairs. In the right place and at the right time, they could work miracles. The rule of balance and complementarity.

Well, I am curious about how I would behave if I had a lot of money. People expect me to be highly reasonable, well-behaved, and well-mannered. A year ago, I would have agreed with you. Not anymore. I would love to discover myself as a badly behaved honey badger — the nastiest in town, the most arrogant creature on earth. As a matter of fact, it’s not something new, because a good diplomat is someone you can’t stand, but also can’t live without. Yeah, that might work, but only if the diplomatic world doesn’t know about it. So please wish me good luck, and, in exchange, I wish you a lovely summer holiday. This article is just for us; it has never officially existed, because arrogant, nasty creatures love only themselves. I assume the risk.

When I have the opportunity, I go outside my home and look at the sky, at my favorite star, and ask it what it thinks about my articles. So far, there has been no answer, but maybe the universe is more favorable and inspired during the summer months and will give me one. I am really curious about it. I find it wonderful that, where I live, the sun is less powerful than in other parts of the world, where, as far as I know, it burns everything out. I think of myself as living under the favorable auspices of an indulgent sun. Or I could simply find a clearer sky, such as the one to be found in the mountains or at the Black Sea. There is a possibility that the answer is already there, but I’m not in the right place to receive it. Until then, I have to admit that I love my home and I wish to continue living in it, so I ask myself whether it is possible to have the message redirected to my home. Hopefully I will be able to write my next article with sand in my bag or after a day of mountain climbing. This last month has been about football/soccer and its spirit. I enjoy comparing a football team to a government, where each member has a specific role, but is able, at the same time, to step up the game if the team loses one of its players or if there are changes during the game. The captain of the team (the prime minister) coordinates the team using the instructions given by the coach (the president). Of course, quite a lot depends on the financing (the budget). In theory, the most smoothly running government team is supposed to win, but that theory is formed without taking into account the thousands of fans cheering in a stadium, and, many times, the public — the audience in the stadium or at home in front of the TV — decides who the winner is. Hopefully Romania will play the next cup, it’s much better to be in the audience and enjoy the game.

Sofia Fodor