They went and sat up front

Author: Honza Cerny/Honza Husak
Location: Usti nad Labem
Honza Husak is a Rom who lives in Teplice. He is about twenty-seven, and a very nice fellow. When I met him it was friendship at first sight. He had phoned to discuss a short-term association with our office and arrived shortly after that. He started gushing ideas about how to improve our work, grabbed a pen and started drawing flow charts. He is very active and committed.
The same evening Honza called me again: he had so many ideas he couldn’t stand the pressure. He also told me that he was glad that I accepted him as a partner, and realized that he would have to change his attitude toward whites a bit.
Honza also told me a story.
"One Sunday my mother and father went to a church where they hadn’t been before. Their local priest was saying Mass there that day.
In front of the church they felt people’s unfriendly looks: if eyes could stab, they would have been covered with blood. So they let everybody pass, entered the church last, and sat in the back.
Before the Mass started the priest came into the church and looked around. When he saw my parents he came up to them. “Good morning Mr Husak, Mrs. Husakova. I’m glad you’re here. Come and sit up front.”
They went and sat up front and the Mass started.
After Mass, people came to say goodbye. Everybody was so eager to get acquainted that they nearly tore off their hands.
My father said later: ‘When a person in authority behaves that way, it influences people. If the Prime Minister, the mayor or an owner of a business behaved that way, the situation would get better.'”
Meeting Honza was important for me too: very simply, it was a MEETING.

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