From 7th to 10th of May we were honoured with the visit of a very special guest from the Netherlands - Jean-Paul Close. We have invited Jean-Paul to visit us in order to get familiar with our activities, as well as with the normobaric therapy of doctor Pokrywka. Jean-Paul was interested if there are the possibilities of its wider use, within his international society enhancement programs. In deciding whether to come to us, it was not without significance that Jean-Paul is within his activity, personally very interested in programs to keep societies healthy. This is a very specifically understood health prophylaxis, which includes in its definition not only a healthy lifestyle, but also all useful, non-pharmacological (read: natural) health therapies designed to support optimal health in a today's toxic and stressful world.
Who exactly is Jean-Paul Close and what does he do?
Jean-Paul is with no doubt an extraordinary person. He obtained his diplomas at the most renowned world universities, such as the University of York (mathematics) and Nyenrode Business University.
In his career, he managed as the General Manager such companies as: Philips Telecomunicaciones or EBIL Integrated Logistics. He was a businessman of the year in Spain and is the author of over 20 books and articles in the subject of business and the role and importance of humanhealth and spirituality in the modern world. He speaks fluently 8 languages.
In his life he reached the point where, as he says, as a conscious man and a father who raised his two children alone, he did not want to accept the imposed style of a submissive life anymore. A lifestyle that creates a tired, diseased and stressed society that is more and more dependent on harmful factors. A lifestyle in which money, and the power associated with it, have become more important than the human being itself. He realized that he could influence the creation of positive changes that many expect, but hardly anyone has the strength and courage to undertake. He reached the point in life where he had to decide whether to be the world's top executive or father and man, and these two functions could not be reconciled.
Jean-Paul says he did not take the decision to take on a new challenges for altruistic reasons. He just wanted a better world for himself and his children. At the same time he was aware that many people dream a very same dream. Therefore he did not feel alone. Despite his analytical mind and impressive career, he is a man full of empathy and warmth for others, which can be seen and felt in all his actions.
Not long after, on his initiative, international societal programs were created, such as: AIREAS (healthy region through air quality), School of Talents (participatory learning), FRE2SH (healthy city food), COS3I (Social Integration) and City of Tomorrow (STIR Foundation), which are already implemented in several countries around the world, reaching as far as Ankara in Turkey or even Delhi in India .
These programs involve tens of thousands of people: students from various high schools and universities around the world, representatives of the world of science and politics as well as ordinary people who feel the need to change our world for the better. The common benefits for all are: better air quality, reduction of contamination, development of innovative technologies, better communication and cooperation in communities (at various levels) and most importantly - improvement of common health and healthier livestyle.
Jean-Paul is not a revolutionary. He is aware that even big changes are made in small steps and only when they are beneficial for all the above-mentioned groups. I do not know a man who is better predisposed and prepared for such a task. Certainly not without significance in his successes is the fact that Jean-Paul is known and respected in scientific circles and in politics. He is often invited to lectures and podia, appearing among the most eminent and influential people in Europe and in the world.
The visit of Jean-Paul Close in "The Shack of Mirdad"
Jean-Paul has already himself experienced how devastating for the psyche and the human body, is functioning in the modern world. Like most of us, he suffers from various ailments and illnesses. When arranging his visit with us, we have set a goal for each other, to apply a range of therapies to demonstrate their unambiguous positive health effect. We realized that this is a very ambitious task. We have had only 3 days for it. We all knew that in such a short time no one will be able to achieve a full recovery.
So we just wanted to notice a perceptible improvement, indicating that the right therapeutic direction was chosen, which is worth developing. On this occasion, we also discussed the need for a holistic approach by such therapies. Many of Jean-Paul's reputable friends from the world of medicine have drawn his attention to this necessity. They put it this way to him: medicine, as science dealing with diseases is developing, but as a science supporting the maintenance of good health - is still just at the beginning.
According to Jean-Paul, human health depends on the bio-physical state of the organism, the state of the psyche, the level of emotionality and the environment in which is functioning. Any disturbances in any of these conditions leads initially to unnoticeable changes and, over time, to serious changes in the other spheres of his health. Then, as a result of these disorders, specific diseases are appearing. When we talk about typical medical treatment, we're getting into specific ailments and diseases. However, when we talk about recovery treatment, we care for improvement wherever human disorder arose, restoring it to the fullest possible balance. In a state of internal balance, the disease can not only develop, but also can not exist.
Jean-Paul's dream is, as a part of its programs, to create an international network of non-pharmacological care for health & health prevention facilities, with a comprehensive offer of natural therapies, capable of supporting people, not only in the health recovery process, but also in its proper maintenance. Such institutions would also offer workshops and trainings, teaching people healthier nutrition and healthy functioning in their daily lives. There is a growing need in the world for a healthy lifestyle, governance and innovative entrepreneurial engagement, so Jean-Paul's dream has a chance to find fertile ground in the form of currently growing pro-health trends.
The results of the applied therapies turned out to be very positive. Jean-Paul felt a marked improvement in his condition, which pleased him greatly. He stated that he would like to treat our place as the beginning of a new activity (the aforementioned network) within the already existing programs in the world. In other words, he offered us to participate in his programs and asked for support in the implementation of this part, which deals with the processes of healing and preventive care.
Jean-Paul visiting normobaric facilities
Another, not less important point of Jean-Paul's visit was to get acquainted with the normobaric technology and the possibilities of its application in the programs he runs. Jean-Paul was very impressed by the normobaric treatment and the person of Doctor Pokrywka. After visiting the normobaric house and the normobaric container, Jean-Paul outlined a possible cooperation that could be very fruitful for both sides. Jean-Paul sees the wide application of this technology in his programs, but he would need doctor Pokrywka's support with his expertise, in return offering the necessary research in independent universities and European research institutions, which he cooperates with on a daily basis. For normobaria in exchange it could mean a dynamic development of this technology and its dissemination in the world, for the benefit of humanity, Jean-Paul said.
His visit with us, already a few days after his return to the Netherlands, had quite significant echoes in his environment. His honest, publicly expressed impressions from Poland were to his credit. He found here a different from a stereotype, beautiful, green and clean Poland (this was his first visit to our country). He liked our hospitality and openness. He was also pleased with the opportunities for good cooperation that were created during this visit. He did not fail to emphasize the positive health effects of this visit. Jean-Paul is already receiving requests for more information about our activities and normobaria, and in the summer plans to arrange a visit of a larger group of people interested in "The Shack of Mirdad" and normobaric treatment.
For us personally, spending time with such a nice and special person as Jean-Paul Close, was a wonderful and learning experience. We are very grateful to him for his interest, time and opportunities that he has opened up for us. We will do everything within our abilities to use them.
What if it turned out that the Lower Silesian Voivodship, or even the Wałbrzych township (together with the municipality of Głuszyca, of course) joined the international City of Tomorrow, or other programs run by Jean-Paul? Do we not want to be an equal part of the international community? Can we here in Poland be at the forefront of the development of new global trends? Who knows...
We also hope that raising number of visitors from abroad will be encouraging local authorities to think about the necessary changes that would make their stay here even more attractive. By this I mean for example tourist information in English and German, information signs in different languages and all the other facilities that make their stay in this area pleasant and convenient. We can definitely do something about it.
author: AKAN / The Shack of Mirdad