Whether Russia picks up the torch and whether they save us from ourselves are two separate questions. Greece and Rome picked up the torch from Egypt once, but Egypt remained a post-apocalyptic shithole in spite of all efforts and remains so to this day.
Don't take it as a blackpill. The important thing is that the torch remains lit. Though I wonder what happens when the last empire falls to ruin and the whole earth is dotted with the remains of its predecessors. On the other hand our monuments aren't as durable as the pyramids and one day this land will look wild and green again, ready for someone carrying the torch to start anew.
I agree that these are separate questions. It all boils down to choices we make and actions we take. If history is cyclical, that could mean that with every cycle comes another chance to get it right. That model seems to align with the smaller choices we make in our individual lives and cycles. We'll often get multiple shots at getting something right. That said, those chances aren't unlimited. That's why studying the past is good.
Nice post. I look at modern art and it's enduring influence, Dada (emptiness and irony), as the Hunter Biden laptop culture of the West's elites. Hunter, surely, has to be some kind of historical icon: not dumb, tramautized in his youth, bagman for corrupt father, makes paintings that look like David Lynch stuff, into drugs and sexual promiscuity, etc. The greatest (white male) sacred victim, entitled parasite we have – although there will be no monuments built on the National Mall.
"Dada (emptiness and irony), as the Hunter Biden laptop culture of the West's elites."
That's an interesting connection to make, actually. I often wonder whether nihilistic deconstruction of art was a symptom or the disease itself. But maybe it's both; a self-reinforcing cycle of hideousness that devours minds and excretes soulless anti-artwork and parasitic losers.
I tend to view high art as reflecting the ruling elites’ zeitgeist. I guess similar to what you are saying. Artnet.com just published a referendum by a group of gatekeepers affirming Dada’s importance and necessity. A Basquiat recently sold for $112M, the highest price I think for a contemporary artist. Well, he would be if he hadn’t died at 27, but that added victim points, plus being non-threatening black.
To my mind, modern elites resemble 19th century bohemians, with careers. There’s a great ebook on Nadar, the photographer and cultivator of celebrity, called The Great Nadar, by Adam Begley. I highly recommend.
I tend to agree with this assessment. And even their "careers" upon closer inspection typically turn out to be something more akin to aristocratic titles, where they don't produce much of anything except capricious rules for other people to follow. Sometimes not even that.
Thanks for the recommendation. I will check it out.
Love the post, Mark. Such a valid question, which remains to be seen. My father spoke fluent Russian and was a technical translator. He had a profound love for the country and its people when all were against them.
Come on really that question is just being asked now that’s ridiculous. Why do you think Putin‘s got so much support over here in the west
All the disparaging critique a President Putin all through the western media, especially Europe they think that they themselves the leaders of these countries in the Western world think They are more freedom, orientated, and aligned with their constituency then President Putin is
These morons, have done more damage to occidental freedom…..I can’t recall in history.
They aren't even done yet. Their latest moves are so suicidally insane, you'd be forgiven for wondering if they are... possessed by something not quite human.
Yes I came to comment that I’ve been holding that question since March 2022. And still am. And consider myself a late arrival having only begun to move out of the gated institutional narrative (from behind the wrong side of the “new” iron curtain) early in the Covid theater 🎭 of the war on humanity
Very interesting. I can't find the exact quote now, but Dostoevsky wrote that salvation of the world will come from Russia. Or something akin to that. If salvation comes from suffering, God knows that the Russians are very familiar with the lyrics, "Hello Darkness My Old Friend." And here we are...
Dostoevsky on Russia's Mission - The Soul of the East
Thanks, brother. As I mentioned to someone else uplhread, I should've mentioned Dostoevsky as part of the West's expansive soul. He was an artist of great conscience and moral vision, who sprang up in a land of long suffering people who found beauty in the darkest nights.
"The Brothers Karamazov" is the best novel ever written. Period.
During the Covid scam, I watched an interesting Russian miniseries on Dostoevsky. Worth seeing, if you can find it.
Again, a very interesting essay, my friend. I still think about, and chuckle at, your essay exploring how Jesus' "descended into hell" part of the Apostle's Creed might have gone down.
The Russian people suffered so harshly through the long decades of communism that it flipped their brains to the other hemisphere. Here in the west long decades of subversion, propaganda and indoctrination have flipped our brains to the opposite hemisphere. How ironic! I have not read Iain McGilchrist's book but have recently listened to him in a couple of podcasts. He makes very thought provoking points. Excellent article, also thought provoking.
Yes. And as Luc Koch just now reminded me, the East Germans were inoculated against *both* kinds of propaganda throughout Soviet rule. While they saw the obvious failures and crimes of communism, they also learned to recognize the Progressive American empire's propaganda weapons. So, once the worm turned, they could see the monster for what it was: anti-family, anti-religion, anti-liberty, and strangely fixated on sexualizing children.
Back at the beginning of weird war III I tried to, in spite of or because of the 24/7 propaganda milling rapidly & not necessarily well although definitely grinding good enough for government work, that any rational person should allow that there perhaps are two sides to the story.
Needless to say w/o any luck. Those who knew they were in the know knew Putin/Russia bad & the gentleman whose previous claim to fame was playing a piano rather strangely is the soul and spirit of Winston Churchill. They'd flame, blame and present solid, thoughtful arguments such as calling me a Putin-bot or a poopybutt turdymouth, supporting their position.
Vlad save the west? From where I sit, up here on top of the world, Europe looks well beyond saving. Also Russia has been rebuffed by the west so often this, their turn toward the east (Scratch a Russian find a Tartar.), may well be their best move. Such also may well be best for the west and the rest. Pax Americana, sad to say, is a west and much of the rest wide banana republic running short of bananas.
Perhaps this shakeup in the players may improve the game. Time will tell meanwhile those of us sitting up here in the cheap seat bleachers with our beer and hotdogs, will, I'm sure have to allow, such makes it definitely more interesting!
"Needless to say w/o any luck. Those who knew they were in the know knew Putin/Russia bad & the gentleman whose previous claim to fame was playing a piano rather strangely is the soul and spirit of Winston Churchill."
Yes. And also, it's pronounced "Keeeev", doncha know? A strange spell, plopped in the middle of a Harry Potter sequel no one wanted.
There are even some folks on this comments thread who are doing the poopybutt routine. Didn't you know that Bad Vlad eats cute puppies for breakfast and gargles them down with virgin blood? Haven't you been paying attention to the screen?
Save a couple of hotdogs and a case of beer for me. I might have to move to Alaska one of these days.
The nuances here…..I am not equipped to verify all the facts of your statements. However, I’m old enough to know that the Harry Potter reference is apt. Sigh.
Yes I have tried to understand this phenomenon in the light of the Fatima prophesies. That Russia must be consecrated to Our Lady to prevent the spread of its great evil. Some say the consecration has occurred and some say not. What if it has occurred and Russia is positively spreading the good back towards the west??
That is an interesting possibility. As I mentioned, even if Putin's personal faith is simulated, it still reflects a real movement in the Russian population. He works in mysterious ways, after all, and often employs unwitting agents.
The scriptures are replete with various tales of God using bad people to accomplish good things. Heck…He even used a jackass one time! Sometimes there is a complete volte face that occurs in people’s lives when God inserts Himself into their narrative. Putin could fall into that camp. Anything and everything is certainly possible from my perspective.
As always your take on what is happening is unique and full of things to ponder. Keep it up. 👍🏻🙏
Great piece, really fascinating way of thinking about it. Not sure if you’re aware of Matt Ellison? He’s just started a Substack very recently, and it has some very interesting ideas. Pretty sure you’d like it
Come on really that question is just being asked now that’s ridiculous. Why do you think Putin‘s got so much support over here in the west
All the disparaging critique a President Putin all through the western media, especially Europe they think that they themselves the leaders of these countries in the Western world think they are more freedom orientated, and aligned with their constituency more then President Putin is.
These morons, have done more damage to occidental purpose, then greed itself
Whether Russia picks up the torch and whether they save us from ourselves are two separate questions. Greece and Rome picked up the torch from Egypt once, but Egypt remained a post-apocalyptic shithole in spite of all efforts and remains so to this day.
Don't take it as a blackpill. The important thing is that the torch remains lit. Though I wonder what happens when the last empire falls to ruin and the whole earth is dotted with the remains of its predecessors. On the other hand our monuments aren't as durable as the pyramids and one day this land will look wild and green again, ready for someone carrying the torch to start anew.
I agree that these are separate questions. It all boils down to choices we make and actions we take. If history is cyclical, that could mean that with every cycle comes another chance to get it right. That model seems to align with the smaller choices we make in our individual lives and cycles. We'll often get multiple shots at getting something right. That said, those chances aren't unlimited. That's why studying the past is good.
Nice post. I look at modern art and it's enduring influence, Dada (emptiness and irony), as the Hunter Biden laptop culture of the West's elites. Hunter, surely, has to be some kind of historical icon: not dumb, tramautized in his youth, bagman for corrupt father, makes paintings that look like David Lynch stuff, into drugs and sexual promiscuity, etc. The greatest (white male) sacred victim, entitled parasite we have – although there will be no monuments built on the National Mall.
"Dada (emptiness and irony), as the Hunter Biden laptop culture of the West's elites."
That's an interesting connection to make, actually. I often wonder whether nihilistic deconstruction of art was a symptom or the disease itself. But maybe it's both; a self-reinforcing cycle of hideousness that devours minds and excretes soulless anti-artwork and parasitic losers.
I tend to view high art as reflecting the ruling elites’ zeitgeist. I guess similar to what you are saying. Artnet.com just published a referendum by a group of gatekeepers affirming Dada’s importance and necessity. A Basquiat recently sold for $112M, the highest price I think for a contemporary artist. Well, he would be if he hadn’t died at 27, but that added victim points, plus being non-threatening black.
To my mind, modern elites resemble 19th century bohemians, with careers. There’s a great ebook on Nadar, the photographer and cultivator of celebrity, called The Great Nadar, by Adam Begley. I highly recommend.
I tend to agree with this assessment. And even their "careers" upon closer inspection typically turn out to be something more akin to aristocratic titles, where they don't produce much of anything except capricious rules for other people to follow. Sometimes not even that.
Thanks for the recommendation. I will check it out.
Love the post, Mark. Such a valid question, which remains to be seen. My father spoke fluent Russian and was a technical translator. He had a profound love for the country and its people when all were against them.
The Novorossiya Play https://thegoodcitizen.live/p/the-novorossiya-play
Putin on Mother Russia. Worth reading the whole thing.
Thanks, Navyo. I will check this out and get back to you.
Excellent. As a Dostoevskian I completely endorse.
Thanks. And that's a good point; I didn't mention Dostoevsky in my roundup of the large Western soul, but I probably should have.
Wow, what an interesting essay.
Thanks, Betsy.
Beautiful work!
Thank you 🙏
My first visit to this substack
Looks like I’ve got some new catching up to do on my reading!
Thank you for the compliment. And welcome aboard this little crazy train. :)
Come on really that question is just being asked now that’s ridiculous. Why do you think Putin‘s got so much support over here in the west
All the disparaging critique a President Putin all through the western media, especially Europe they think that they themselves the leaders of these countries in the Western world think They are more freedom, orientated, and aligned with their constituency then President Putin is
These morons, have done more damage to occidental freedom…..I can’t recall in history.
They aren't even done yet. Their latest moves are so suicidally insane, you'd be forgiven for wondering if they are... possessed by something not quite human.
Yes I came to comment that I’ve been holding that question since March 2022. And still am. And consider myself a late arrival having only begun to move out of the gated institutional narrative (from behind the wrong side of the “new” iron curtain) early in the Covid theater 🎭 of the war on humanity
Very interesting. I can't find the exact quote now, but Dostoevsky wrote that salvation of the world will come from Russia. Or something akin to that. If salvation comes from suffering, God knows that the Russians are very familiar with the lyrics, "Hello Darkness My Old Friend." And here we are...
Dostoevsky on Russia's Mission - The Soul of the East
Thanks, brother. As I mentioned to someone else uplhread, I should've mentioned Dostoevsky as part of the West's expansive soul. He was an artist of great conscience and moral vision, who sprang up in a land of long suffering people who found beauty in the darkest nights.
"The Brothers Karamazov" is the best novel ever written. Period.
During the Covid scam, I watched an interesting Russian miniseries on Dostoevsky. Worth seeing, if you can find it.
Again, a very interesting essay, my friend. I still think about, and chuckle at, your essay exploring how Jesus' "descended into hell" part of the Apostle's Creed might have gone down.
It possibly ties in with the Fatima revelations too, and the “conversion of Russia” they predicted. Well, anyway, I suppose we will see.
The Russian people suffered so harshly through the long decades of communism that it flipped their brains to the other hemisphere. Here in the west long decades of subversion, propaganda and indoctrination have flipped our brains to the opposite hemisphere. How ironic! I have not read Iain McGilchrist's book but have recently listened to him in a couple of podcasts. He makes very thought provoking points. Excellent article, also thought provoking.
Yes. And as Luc Koch just now reminded me, the East Germans were inoculated against *both* kinds of propaganda throughout Soviet rule. While they saw the obvious failures and crimes of communism, they also learned to recognize the Progressive American empire's propaganda weapons. So, once the worm turned, they could see the monster for what it was: anti-family, anti-religion, anti-liberty, and strangely fixated on sexualizing children.
Hum, hum & a hah.
Back at the beginning of weird war III I tried to, in spite of or because of the 24/7 propaganda milling rapidly & not necessarily well although definitely grinding good enough for government work, that any rational person should allow that there perhaps are two sides to the story.
Needless to say w/o any luck. Those who knew they were in the know knew Putin/Russia bad & the gentleman whose previous claim to fame was playing a piano rather strangely is the soul and spirit of Winston Churchill. They'd flame, blame and present solid, thoughtful arguments such as calling me a Putin-bot or a poopybutt turdymouth, supporting their position.
Vlad save the west? From where I sit, up here on top of the world, Europe looks well beyond saving. Also Russia has been rebuffed by the west so often this, their turn toward the east (Scratch a Russian find a Tartar.), may well be their best move. Such also may well be best for the west and the rest. Pax Americana, sad to say, is a west and much of the rest wide banana republic running short of bananas.
Perhaps this shakeup in the players may improve the game. Time will tell meanwhile those of us sitting up here in the cheap seat bleachers with our beer and hotdogs, will, I'm sure have to allow, such makes it definitely more interesting!
"Needless to say w/o any luck. Those who knew they were in the know knew Putin/Russia bad & the gentleman whose previous claim to fame was playing a piano rather strangely is the soul and spirit of Winston Churchill."
Yes. And also, it's pronounced "Keeeev", doncha know? A strange spell, plopped in the middle of a Harry Potter sequel no one wanted.
There are even some folks on this comments thread who are doing the poopybutt routine. Didn't you know that Bad Vlad eats cute puppies for breakfast and gargles them down with virgin blood? Haven't you been paying attention to the screen?
Save a couple of hotdogs and a case of beer for me. I might have to move to Alaska one of these days.
The nuances here…..I am not equipped to verify all the facts of your statements. However, I’m old enough to know that the Harry Potter reference is apt. Sigh.
"Weird war III" is exactly what it is!
Yep. I've been calling it that myself for a while now.
Yes I have tried to understand this phenomenon in the light of the Fatima prophesies. That Russia must be consecrated to Our Lady to prevent the spread of its great evil. Some say the consecration has occurred and some say not. What if it has occurred and Russia is positively spreading the good back towards the west??
That is an interesting possibility. As I mentioned, even if Putin's personal faith is simulated, it still reflects a real movement in the Russian population. He works in mysterious ways, after all, and often employs unwitting agents.
The scriptures are replete with various tales of God using bad people to accomplish good things. Heck…He even used a jackass one time! Sometimes there is a complete volte face that occurs in people’s lives when God inserts Himself into their narrative. Putin could fall into that camp. Anything and everything is certainly possible from my perspective.
As always your take on what is happening is unique and full of things to ponder. Keep it up. 👍🏻🙏
Indeed He does!
This occurred to me too. Maybe it hasn’t happened yet, but it’s getting closer? Who knows, but interesting to ask
Harvard Project
There was a lot going on back then, most of it involving a bunch of checks that his bosses couldn’t cash.
As laid out by Russian General Constantine Petrov 2005 lectures Russian review YouTube channel
Great piece, really fascinating way of thinking about it. Not sure if you’re aware of Matt Ellison? He’s just started a Substack very recently, and it has some very interesting ideas. Pretty sure you’d like it
I’m not familiar, but I will check him out. Thanks for the rec.
https://markhackard.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/dostoevsky-russias-mission/
Oops, here is the link
I will add it the list of intriguing recommendations here.
Byzantium's back, baby.
Come on really that question is just being asked now that’s ridiculous. Why do you think Putin‘s got so much support over here in the west
All the disparaging critique a President Putin all through the western media, especially Europe they think that they themselves the leaders of these countries in the Western world think they are more freedom orientated, and aligned with their constituency more then President Putin is.
These morons, have done more damage to occidental purpose, then greed itself