stratohawk wrote:Miditek, thank you for this topic. Apparently most cannot dignify (or even don't know) this man and his lifework. 2 or 3 months ago he gave a very long and interesting interview in German news magazin "spiegel". In that interview he stated to be tired of this life. He knew that soon he would close the circle. A fascinating person!
You're welcome, and yes, he was definitely a fascinating person. As a writer and social critic, he was one of the very few people that I can think of the could truly see "the big picture" in a society, East or West, and still be able to articulate his views in a way that most people with average intelligence could understand and relate to. His communication skills, in my opinion, showed his true genius.
Even though he was undeniably brilliant, he never came across as some arrogant or long winded academic type- or an elitist. I believe that he loved his native country dearly, and I also believe that the same applied to his adopted country (America), although I do not feel that he endorsed the governments of either! While he may have infuriated the Kremlin, snooty university professors at Harvard, and crooked bureaucrats in Washington, I believe that he did do a great public service by exposing the abuse of both types of political systems- in, as I said, in the East as well as the West. I feel that he was equally critical (and rightfully so!) of both.
In the end, I feel that he did a great service to the West by providing some prophetic warnings- that not necessarily every country wished to emulate America, and that America's materialism and hedonism was making it too soft, and that its formerly great morals and values were being thrown out the window. It was a stinging indictment, but were some things that we needed to hear and to heed- particularly the part about the dangers of materialism and hedonism at the expense of honesty and morality.
My last girlfriend and her daughters epitomized Solzhenitsyn's warnings. While she may have swindled and/or hustled her ex-husband, father, and boyfriends out of significant amounts of money and material possessions, in the end, while there is plenty of "stuff" there , this is one household with not one moment's peace, very little happiness, and a persistent sense of paranoia and constantly "looking over one's shoulder". Solzhenitsyn's Law sadly rings true not only in her household, but also countless others like it across the nation.
Here is a sample of his words to illustrate:
"The constant desire to have still more things and a still better life and the struggle to obtain them imprints many Western faces with worry and even depression...The majority of people have been granted well being to an extent their fathers and grandfathers could not even dream about."
It sucks&its sad, but what can be done? One day the injustices of this world will be set straight, but until then we have to just have faith, and do our best to help in our own way, the best we can.
Moreover, I have many classics in my library. And I love reading books. 