Prosperity and Chronic Discontent
Zlatuska, full name Zdeňka Zlatušková, is our new project coordinator with unique skills. She comes from Czech city of Telč, studied architecture, explored design, marketing and business activities. She has travelled through Russia, Mongolia, China, Egypt and Israel. She can fix almost anything, is a believer, and is "eco-conscious." Zlatuska reflects on joy, poverty, and prosperity.
Zlatuska, why did you choose to study architecture?
I am that girl who enjoyed many things, and everything went well for her in school. Architecture was a combination of it all. Technology, art, history, …, a broad field. And I liked that. I was inspired by my friend. In my childhood, I often spent time on construction sites because my dad worked as a bricklayer. So, it wasn't unfamiliar to me.
I know you studied in Russia. Why Russia?
Yes. I went with a friend for 6 months to southern Siberia in a study exchange program. Everything in Europe seemed too familiar and close to us. Asia was a different world. We approached it more as a trip than a study.
Did your "trip" exceed expectations?
It surpassed them! I liked the people's nature – openness, hospitality, friendship. I encountered that. And also, things were different than here. For example, distances. In our country, we have a village every 3 km, there you travel between cities, maybe even 2 days by train. Even time flowed differently, slower. I enjoyed going to markets and traveling by train, where I had warm and interesting encounters. We went on trips by train. For example, we visited Lake Baikal in winter and summer. We even traveled through Mongolia to China.
Can you share an experience from your travels?
There are many travel experiences. I fondly remember a person named Ruslan. I met him on a train from Moscow to Kyiv when I was returning home. In Kyiv, I didn't have accommodation arranged and I was dragging a huge and terribly heavy suitcase with broken wheels. Ruslan was traveling from somewhere in Siberia to visit relatives in Kyiv. He carried my heavy suitcase without wheels to the hostel, which he helped me find. I thought he was an angel… Maybe I still think so. :) I don't have his photo, I don't know his full name, and I don't even remember what he looked like. But I will never forget his kindness.
You probably know the Russian nature somewhat. How do you view the current war conflict in Ukraine?
I think Russians who agree with the war are manipulated. They succumb to propaganda. The propaganda system is very well developed in Russia. The state does not support critical thinking. People do not seek information themselves, do not think about it. They have preprocessed information and ideas that they simply adopt. And that is probably the problem.
If someone in Russia took a critical thinking course, would they have a chance to get out of it?
Friends from Russia living in the Czech Republic disagree with the war. They don't live in the Russian bubble; they can evaluate various information themselves. So yes.
Zlatuska, you have thorough analytical abilities. You can quickly acquire and process information, penetrate IT systems quickly. I'm curious, how did you discover this in yourself?
I think studying at a technical school contributed to that. It was a catalyst for development. And I also got into other fields (e.g., management, marketing, IT), where I had to study a lot of things.
And why don't you work as an architect anymore? Or do you?
I still do it a bit. I help out or take on projects when someone needs something done. Sometimes I miss architecture, like when I walk through a furniture showroom or admire a building. But now I do things that I believe are meaningful. And I am satisfied.
When you need to study something new, you just "dive into it," your eyes light up, and the world around you ceases to exist. What makes these new things so interesting for you?
I don't know. I just enjoy it! :) Especially if it's not routine. I have to persuade myself a lot to stick to a routine. But when it's something I'm interested in and needs to be solved, and there's no one else, or better, to do it. That's probably the driving force for me.
I know you're religious. What does faith bring you?
I am a Christian. I want to be the best person I can be in life. And faith is a way for me to fulfill that. A means of self-reflection, development. And, of course, faith gives me peace, tranquility, and joy.
So at the end of your life, you'll be peaceful, joyful, and a better version of yourself?
Ideally! :)
Well, thank you for sharing. I also learned that you are a big nature conservationist. Where did this come from in you?
I don't know. It just happened. :) It probably started in school, where we had an ecological club. We went to clean up trash around the school and watched videos about how waste is recycled. This left a mark on me.
I am convinced that it is right not to destroy and pollute nature. Aesthetics also play a role in this. I don't find heaps of garbage in nature beautiful.
What do you do in your free time?
I relax in the garden, go for walks, meet friends, engage in handicrafts. I like making gifts for friends. It is related to this ecological thinking because I don't like to shop.
You don't like shopping?
Yes. I really don't like shopping. I only buy things I really need. And ideally, I use things for as long as possible and repair them so that I don't have to create waste. And when I give gifts, I give gifts made from recycled materials that are somehow useful.
What did you last fix or make for yourself?
Just yesterday, we were fixing the washing machine. It didn't heat water. A person just needs a little will to do it because there are worries with it.
As for clothing, I sew everything. Or when I do buy it, I buy used. The only thing I'm willing to buy new is shoes – hiking boots.
What do you do when you don't have to do anything?
I always fill my free time somehow. I'm a notorious "non-catch-up," I have more plans than time. And when it happens that I don't have to do anything, I make plans so that I have something to do. :)
And when you're here at BanglaKids or BanglaČala, as we say in our office, what would you like to bring to the children in Bangladesh?
I would like to ensure that they don't have to struggle with the most basic needs and that they are as well off as we are. But... what is actually better? From a certain perspective, don't people in Bangladesh have a better life than we do here?
We are materially better off, but the fulfillment of life is probably in something else...
Yes. Just today, I had such an experience... I got off the tram, and I was kind of lost in my thoughts. Suddenly, the shouting of homeless people pulled me out of them. One of them was walking on the other side of the street, shouting, "I have a cutlet!" And from the other side of the street, his friends replied, "That's great!" And they all loudly rejoiced on the whole street. Imagine that the whole group rejoiced because one person had a cutlet.
So I paused and thought to myself: "Can I rejoice like that too? Maybe about that cutlet? Or anything else?" Sometimes when I ask someone from my friends, "What made you happy today?" they often can't even answer. Sometimes I can't find this answer myself. And it's actually about the ability to be able to rejoice in small things... Those people at the tram stop would immediately say, "Cutlet! He has a cutlet!"
So our prosperity and excess breed discontent. Chronic discontent.
That's an interesting thought, that excess breeds chronic discontent. Zlatuško, do you have a personal motto?
"If it doesn't work by force, it will work by even greater force." I use this when repairing things. Sometimes you need to hit it hard. :) But I also like the motto: "In the end, everything will turn out well. And if it hasn't turned out well, it's not the end yet." And I believe in good endings.
You are drawn to the mountains, to nature.
I like discovering new places. In the mountains, I go a bit to challenge myself. There are beautiful views and such peace and quiet. And at the same time, it's physically demanding because I have short legs, and I can't keep up with people who walk with me.
Do you take more steps than others?
Exactly. I always tell them, "I have double the performance as you do! You can't run like that!" :) In the mountains, I learn to endure discomfort and reach my physical limits.
Thank you very much for the interview.
