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Through My Eyes

Through My Eyes

Author: By Kasia Yoko
Date: 2026-08-28

Comfort rarely changes us. It is discomfort‚ being hungry, cold and sleep-deprived, as Margaret Thatcher once suggested‚ that pushes us to act, adapt and see the world more clearly. I was reminded of that idea during my six weeks in Europe, particularly in Poland, where the contrast between the country I remembered and the one I encountered forced me to question what progress has given us and what it may have taken away.

What I understood from it was simple: you need to step outside your comfort zone if you want to achieve anything worthwhile. Nothing much grows in a life that is permanently comfortable.

Poland has changed dramatically. Economically, the country appears to be thriving. New developments are everywhere, supermarkets have sprung up on almost every corner and the advertising of 'killer deals' has become relentless. Buy more and pay less seems to be the mantra.

But I couldn't help wondering what we have sacrificed along the way.

Western-style processed food has taken center stage. Shish kebab takeaways can be found in almost every village and town, alongside burgers, pizza, fried food and ice cream shops. There is an abundance of everything, and the opulence seems to be shining its light on the population.

From my perspective, it doesn't necessarily look healthy.

The Poland of my childhood was a very different place. Almost every home had a vegetable garden and fruit trees. Open land was occupied by small allotments where families grew potatoes, onions, tomatoes, sunflowers, berries, cucumbers and herbs everything else they needed.

Poles were masters of foraging. Summer meant gathering wild berries, mushrooms and fruits from the forests and countryside. There was a deep understanding that nature provided, and that you did not need a supermarket for everything.

Today, the American blueberry seems to have become a feature of almost every fruit stand, while much of the fresh produce in supermarkets arrives from elsewhere in the European Union. And in some places, forests that once welcomed generations of foragers now carry 'Do not enter' signs.

Times have changed.

And, standing there after so many years away, I realised that the Poland I carry inside me is no longer quite the Poland I see today.

Yet I returned to South Africa with another realisation.

We may not have the economic stability that Europe appears to enjoy. We have our political shenanigans; rising food prices, uncertainty and enough daily challenges to keep even the most optimistic person awake at night. Sometimes it feels as though those making the decisions have little idea of what ordinary people are experiencing.

But strangely, my heart feels lighter here.

Perhaps it is because uncertainty keeps us awake. It keeps us alert. It forces us to adapt, to improvise and to appreciate what we have. We cannot afford to become too comfortable.

And perhaps that is the lesson.

The grass is always greener on the other side because we are looking at it from a distance.

Once you get there, you discover that it has weeds too.

So I choose to stay upbeat. I choose to have faith in the outcome. I choose to embrace the chaos, the challenges and even the uncertainty.

Because sometimes being a little hungry, a little uncomfortable and slightly outside your comfort zone is exactly what keeps you moving forward.

And perhaps, after all, that is where life really happens.