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The goal of the paper is to identify the message in letters written by Polish and Czech seniors. The letters were subject to qualitative analysis. The method used was the analysis of the inspired texts—letters written by older people to the younger generation, which may become a didactic tool for the younger generations to learn from the biographies of seniors. The result of the analysis is a list of categories reflecting the main aspects dominating in the letters. These categories are: message addressed to a younger generation, important events and people in individual life story, reflection upon the meaning of life and concerns and challenges in the course of life. All the seniors express their affirmation of family, share ethical reflections on their relationships with other people and on passing. Thus, the main message of the letters is a call to cherish family relationships, nurture relations with other people and show respect to others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, spirituality and the meaning of life are becoming increasingly important variables in the study of well-being, health, and happiness. The concept of spiritual intelligence (SI) was suggested as a potentially significant construct expanding our understanding of psychological determinants of human functioning. The aim of this paper was to investigate the factorial validity of the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI; King, 2008) in the context of research on a general factor of spiritual intelligence as a psychological construct. The SISRI was administered to 833 adults in Poland. A four-factor solution with one second-order factor of spiritual intelligence provided an inadequate solution. A four-factor solution with correlated factors and a reduced number of items provided an adequate fit to the data. It is concluded that so far, no data are supporting a single factor of SI measured by SISRI-24, and previous studies, including the original study, show that the measurement with this scale is highly problematic. Without a strong theory and proper measurement, the development of this highly promising area of research may be hindered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sharing a light-hearted account of important events in an academic career and life. • Introducing bifurcations in life and their local and global consequences. • Demonstrating beauty of undertaking quality research with friends from around the world. This paper dedicated to my late mum and dad (Ludwika and Karol Wiercigroch), presents a light-hearted account of important events in my academic career, which have influenced my development and contributed to my achievements. It meant to be published on the occasion of my round birthday, which celebration was delayed by COVID-19 pandemic and some other factors. Predominantly, it is based on a booklet I wrote in 2013 on the occasion of bestowing on me a title a doctor honoris causa by the Technical University of Lodz (LUT) of my native Poland. The main focus of this piece is the friendship and interactions with my academic colleagues around the world and in particular with Professor Tomasz Kapitaniak of the LUT. In mathematics, a bifurcation is a qualitative change in a solution, wherein a march is not only a synonym of a periodic excitation but also the passing time. In this context, a bifurcation being a qualitative change has a major influence on the global solution. This definition resonates well a much wider context and this paper attempts to provide some examples. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of ethnographic field research focusing on the worship of the Christ Child as practised by female members of a Fraternity of the Infant Jesus in the main church (kościół farny) in the city of Rzeszów in south-eastern Poland. Based on anthropological analysis of secondary sources and primary data collected through interviews, I try to answer the question of why the women choose to worship God as a Child, and how their choice is connected with their spiritual path. What kind of figures do they embrace as spiritual role models, and why? What is it about the worship of the Child Jesus that they find attractive, and how do they maintain, and contribute to, that form of worship? I will connect these aspects of the worship to women's strong need for "giving/protecting life" as well as for sensual relationship with the sacred. I treat this need as a self-embraced development strategy combining a fulfilled feminine identity with a religious life as worshippers of Christ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]