Gulags, Freedom and Opera

 Flying back from Italia to Texas on the "oľ gal" (a 747!), listening to the King's College of Cambridge men's choir (a heavenly experience) gave me some time for reflection. I have finally finished, "Gulag Archipelago", Aleksandr Solzhenisyn's Nobel Prize winning book that chronicles 40 year's of life, torture, and death in Russian political prisons. Even the abridged version is a long slog, with way too much savagery to take except in small doses, hence the dog-eared copy in the photo below that accompanied twice flying over Siberia where it took place.  Millions of people gone, vanished.  Today who remembers or cares? If you are reading this blog, then you very likely have not experienced injustice on such a grand scale.  Horrific individual instances making the headlines in the US, pale in comparison. Imagine 100's of people just disappearing everyday for decades! We are so lucky to be free!

Contrast the gulags to my plush experience gliding over the mozzafiato (breathtaking) Swiss Alps where just a month ago I was hiking. (Look closely in the foto and you can see the Matterhorn) . Will any of it matter in a 1000 years? The mountains will silently watch man's comings and goings until long after humanity is gone. Not to say life is not rich and meaningful.

Case in point, later on this flight, I watched a poignant film about opera star Luciano Pavarotti's life. Titled simply, "Pavarotti" it is about music, Italia, singing, family, humility, love, life... about me. Moved me to tears on several occasions. Definitely a film worth experiencing. 




Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 27, 2019 at 9:31 AM

    Beautiful photo and a set of reflections that stretch from the sea-level depths of the gulag to the mountaintop of the music. Thanks for sharing, Jeff.

    ReplyDelete

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