“I thought it was spring, but it was snow melting,” this song sounds in one of recent Russian soap operas. I certainly have not seen it, but the song is memorable. The film, as far as I understand, is about Khrushchev’s “snow melting”, about a period of the Soviet times (from the mid-1950s to the mid-60s), when Stalin’s brutal totalitarianism was replaced by softer, but, of course, absolutely non-democratic regime.
It was a breath of freedom for the intellectual, which, however, was quickly replaced by the dull Brezhnev “stagnation.” In 1964-1965, when I was in pre-school age, my parents were listening to Okudzhava’s songs over the tape-recorder, which he was singing at some private parties. The artist’s works were not banned (it was not containing any “anti-Soviet” element), but it was not even officially encouraged because it was kilometers far away from the official dogmas. So, I am also enjoying the last drops of “snow melting”.
Yesterday, in the afternoon, the snow was melting in Yerevan, with literally physical sense of the word, but it is clear that it is not still spring. This feeling was also added by the conscious that the media’s work in recent years, to some extent, can be considered “snow melting” in comparison with earlier period. Although speaking of spring is too early. That’s why I remembered this song of the soap opera.
And how to bring the real spring closer. Very simple, to reject totalitarian thinking. First and foremost, it should be done, of course, by the authorities. Do you remember, one of the heroes in the anti-utopian novel “We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin said in a threatening tone, “our duty will be to force them to be happy”? It is precisely display of this kind of thinking.
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Elections are held, and, for example, Stepan Demirchyan wins. How is he going to rule the country, is not clear. But it does not mean the elected politician should not rule, and “based on supreme national interest” should “correct the mistake of the people” by violence and intimidation No, creating a tradition of respecting the citizens’ choice is much more important than the quality of this-or-that leader. In addition, ruling does not necessarily mean hitting the fist on the table on every minute and punish everybody.
Or, young people obviously do not want to give up 5% of their salary, for alleged dignified old age. Maybe they are wrong, and they need to be convinced that this is the very right way. But to persuade, not force. And to say, “you do not understand anything, we will force our decision over you, later you will say thank you,” means to resemble Zamyatin’s aforementioned hero.
It depends on us, whether winter will come back after the “snow melts”, or warmer days will follow.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
