Everyone wants to put theory into practice, but not all can. Existing ideas without implementation have little value, and the other way around, if there is nothing to implement, even the best process for application will be of no use. There is somewhere a balance we can reach between the skills we learn that are purely theoretical that we embrace with our emotional understanding, and skills such as practical thinking, strategizing, planning, seeing the big picture but not loosing the sight of the core idea.
It’s interesting to explore how different ideas or knowledge transform into applicable theories, or at least, they make New York and other bestsellers. It wouldn’t be false to assume that there is a “market” for every idea, invention, book, piece of art. Every mathematical equation has application, even if rarely; physical laws, political intrigues, scientific discoveries, religious discoveries, etc. Every piece of knowledge that still lives gained by humanity has some application. But I’m wondering whether all knowledge and ideas are equally valuable, and if what makes them valuable is whether they are applied to their best use. I believe, it is the job of the institutions and their creative people to present or interpret certain knowledge correctly and persuasively with the best objective and the consumer to make the best use of it.
The reason this is coming up is because I’m curious what things are important to know which ones are not. Internet inundates us with information daily, so do people. Documents we come across, books, even titles and headlines, things we overhear in conversations (unintentionally.) We will not remember everything, but we subconsciously prepare ourselves for certain knowledge that will stick because of our interests or concerns at a certain time. So no matter how much information is targeted towards us, we relate more to certain stories and ideas. They stick. But more essentially, what are we going to do with the information that will stick? Write it, teach it, forget it… We need to retain information that has value. And what that value is we determine individually.
“Why”
It seems like the most value of any idea, knowledge or experience is brought to light if the question “why” is asked. Why is certain knowledge important? Isaiah Berlin related to the Russian writers and wrote in “The Pursuit of the Ideal”:
The Russians were concerned most deeply with what was responsible for justice, oppression, falsity in human relations, imprisonment whether by stone walls or conformism – unprotesting submission to man-made yokes – moral blindness, egoism, cruelty, humiliation, servility, poverty, helplessness, bitter indignation, despair on the part of so many. In short, they were concerned with the nature of these experiences and their roots in the human condition: the condition of Russia in the first place, but by implication, of the all mankind.
This is an example of how the Russians looked at the “why” behind what they observed in human actions, social issues, Russian’s political condition, etc. “Anna Karenina” for example is a love story, but it so deeply explores social issues, moral liberty and choices and other topics that uncover through sequence of events of the plot. It’s easy to simply pick up the plot of an engaging story, but reading between the lines and understanding, will result in more valuable knowledge.
A lot of times we are concerned with certain information or knowledge, because we think it somehow leads us to “truth” however it is defined by different people. In a non-religions sense, I think, truth is that untapped set of insights that a diligent mind approaches through some discovery which helps understand reality, nature and the process of creation. It seems that most people believe that directly or indirectly all knowledge leads to God or some deity and the creation – something that signifies the beginning and the end of everything. Knowledge transmits truth in secular aspects like careers, friendships, economy, politics, art etc. Within each of these areas, we can look for specific elements of knowledge which helps us understand God and his creations (including us) which is truth. Medicine, law, international relations, art, languages, dance, film making, and photography – all explore the surrounding world and creation, which have elements of God. And that is one of the components of value of certain knowledge.
….But once a desire for truth for its own sake asserts itself, something more novel is born: the desire to create an advancing science, to accumulate knowledge, to know more than out predecessors and to be aware of this; which leads to the realization that this can be achieved only if the reputable practitioners in the field recognize the validity of the same principles and methods and can test each other’s conclusions, as has been in the case of physics or mathematics or astronomy and in all the new sciences. (Isaiah Berlin)
If all knowledge somehow leads to truth it needs to be applied in a way that helps people understand the truth, which will motivate them to be good. I think the knowledge becomes most valuable 1) when there is a clear connection and consistency in moral values between the knowledge/idea and how it needs to be implemented; 2) when you can project what impact this applied knowledge or idea is going to make.
Once we’ve retained this knowledge that we thought is important, we start looking for a profession or a job that will help us apply the knowledge. So we start mixing theoretical and practical knowledge, finding processes that somehow reflect how our ideas will benefit the community. When this doesn’t happen, we lack fulfillment. I think that the connection between what we think and how we implement it, is consistency. Or, even persistently acting on what’s burning in us as a passion. Because if it’s a passion, it will most likely breed original ideas and effective processes.
In Outliers Michael Gladwell talks about 10,000 rule and people that were constant in their efforts spending close to 10,000 hours on developing their talent. Bill Gates spent more time programming at the Computer Center than at his classes because he was obsessed with computers. The Beatles’s consistency was playing for hours and years in Hamburg before the fame came. This may be called persistency and hard work, but it is also consistency of ideas and knowledge valuable to them implemented into creation of a product – weather it's a video game or a song.
A “what” and a “how”
I just saw a movie The Soviet Story which again looked at divergence between theory and practice within the Communist Soviet Union. The USSR progressively became one of the best examples of the idea that promoted the good and the implementation of the means – completely the opposite. When the atrocities were unveiled during glasnost’ people saw the false harmony between the good which was publicly promoted for the people and the conditions that reflected the policies of the communists.
The loss of freedom, tyranny, abuse, hunger, would all have been easier to bear if not for the compulsion to call them freedom, justice, the good of the people. – Alexander Wat
Gradually the complete dissonance between theory and practice led to the collapse. And when we have divergence between theory and practice, or standard of life and actual living, or saying and doing, we talk about integrity, integrity of individual or integrity of state - run by individuals. So, despite economic and political problems, the failure of the system occurred partially because of inconsistency in promoting the idea and its implementation.
Even though, communism as an ideology was very long lasting and seemingly consistent, there was a shift in focus from ensuring the common good to obtaining power by egocentric power-hungry leaders. And, that made the means or the process completely inconsistent with the original idea. For example, if Bill Gates was really motivated by the fast accumulation of wealth, he could have made shortcuts which would not have allowed him to spend those 10,000 hours of nurturing the talent which led to valuable inventions.
Maybe, I touched on too many aspects of more than 1 topic; but, I hope the point is somewhat clear:
1. We can think of what information we intake and how it is going to make a difference because of us.
2. We can ask “why” something is important and how to apply it.
3. Be consistent in putting certain knowledge or idea to practice and let the vision and passion motivate us.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Feredico's Autumn Song
Ever since I first learned about Fererico Garcia Lorca’s poetry in high-school I’ve liked its rhythm, metaphors, and just the way Lorca writes, or I should say, the way he was translated into Russian.Recently I met a man from Spain. He works as a caterer, but likes poetry and travel. He told me that Lorca is one of the worst poets of Spain. It seems like the men of the greatest talent always provoke controversial opinions about their work... and it’s a positive thing. I like Lorca's poem “Autumn Song”, so I translated it from Russian into English, even though it has probably already been translated multiple times... Below are the three versions, Spanish being the original one and the English one - the most unoriginal one.
Autumn Song
Today, in my heart – an uncertain shiver of constellations,
My trail and my song whither in the soul of the fog.
Light breaks my wings, and grief of sorrow and awareness
Memory diffuses in a clear spring of thought.
All roses are white today, as my grief, as retribution,
And if not white, the snow will bleach each one.
They previously resembled rainbows. Yet, over the soul it’s snowing.
Soul snowflakes – kisses and, at times, entire panoramas,
They are in darkness, but glow for those that carry them.
Snowflakes will melt on roses,
But snow in the soul remains,
And will turn into savannah,
In the paws of the slipping years.
Does this snow melt when death removes us?
Or will the snow change and roses will be different, better?
Will we know rest and peace of Christ’s preaching?
Is there a resolution to this dilemma?
And what if love is only a lie? Who instills breath of life into us?
If only shadows of dusk give us true knowledge?
Perhaps, there is no Good, but the wounds of Evil are near.
If misunderstanding begins, when hope is stifled,
Then what torch will shed light on earthly wanderings?
If imagination is only azure, what is innocence, miracle?
What will happen to the heart, if love’s cupid will be short of arrows?
If death is merely death, what will happen to penniless poet?
To belongings that sleep forgotten?
Sun, sun of hopes! Transparent water and purity!
Hearts of the children! New moon! Mute rocks of the soul!
Today, in my heart - an uncertain shiver of constellations,
Today all roses are white as my grief, as retribution…
ОСЕННЯЯ ПЕСНЯ
Сегодня чувствую в сердце неясную дрожь созвездий,
Но глохнут в душе тумана моя тропинка и песня.
Свет мои крылья ломает, и боль печали, и знанья
В чистом источнике мысли полощет воспоминанья.
Все розы сегодня белы, как горе мое, как возмездье,
А если они не белы, то снег их выбелит вместе.
Прежде как радуга были. А снег идет над душою.
Снежинки души - поцелуи и целые сцены порою,
Они во тьме, но сияют для тех, кто несет их с собою.
На розах снежинки растают,
Но снег души остается,
И в лапах бегущих лет он
Саваном обернется.
Тает ли этот снег, когда смерть нас с собою уносит?
Или будет и снег другой, и другие - лучшие - розы?
Узнаем ли мир и покой мы согласно ученью Христову?
Или вовек невозможно Решенье вопроса такого?
А если любовь - лишь обман? Кто влагает в нас жизни дыханье,
Если только сумерек тень нам дает настоящее знанье?
Добра - его, может быть, нет, а Зло - оно рядом и ранит.
Если надежда погаснет, и начнется непониманье,
То какой же факел на свете осветит земные блужданья?
Если вымысел - синева, что станет с невинностью, с чудом?
Что с сердцем, что с сердцем станет, если стрел у любви н будет?
Если смерть - это только смерть, что станет с поэтом бездомным
И с вещами, которые спят оттого, что никто их не вспомнит?
О, солнце, солнце надежд! Воды прозрачность и ясность!
Сердца детей! Новолунье! Души камней безгласных!
Сегодня чувствую в сердце Неясную дрожь созвездий,,
Сегодня все розы белы, Как горе моё, как возмездье...
Canción Otoñal
Hoy siento en el corazón
un vago temblor de estrellas,
pero mi senda se pierde
en el alma de la niebla.
La luz me troncha las alas
y el dolor de mi tristeza
va mojando los recuerdos
en la fuente de la idea.
Todas las rosas son blancas,
tan blancas como mi pena,
y no son las rosas blancas,
que ha nevado sobre ellas.
Antes tuvieron el iris.
También sobre el alma nieva.
La nieve del alma tiene
copos de besos y escenas
que se hundieron en la sombra
o en la luz del que las piensa.
La nieve cae de las rosas,
pero la del alma queda,
y la garra de los años
hace un sudario con ellas.
¿Se deshelará la nieve
cuando la muerte nos lleva?
¿O después habrá otra nieve
y otras rosas más perfectas?
¿Será la paz con nosotros
como Cristo nos enseña?
¿O nunca será posible
la solución del problema?
¿Y si el amor nos engaña?
¿Quién la vida nos alienta
si el crepúsculo nos hunde
en la verdadera ciencia
del Bien que quizá no exista,
y del Mal que late cerca?
¿Si la esperanza se apaga
y la Babel se comienza,
qué antorcha iluminará
los caminos en la Tierra?
¿Si el azul es un ensueño,
qué será de la inocencia?
¿Qué será del corazón
si el Amor no tiene flechas?
¿Y si la muerte es la muerte,
qué será de los poetas
y de las cosas dormidas
que ya nadie las recuerda?
¡Oh sol de las esperanzas!
¡Agua clara! ¡Luna nueva!
¡Corazones de los niños!
¡Almas rudas de las piedras!
Hoy siento en el corazón
un vago temblor de estrellas
y todas las rosas son
tan blancas como mi pena.
Autumn Song
Today, in my heart – an uncertain shiver of constellations,
My trail and my song whither in the soul of the fog.
Light breaks my wings, and grief of sorrow and awareness
Memory diffuses in a clear spring of thought.
All roses are white today, as my grief, as retribution,
And if not white, the snow will bleach each one.
They previously resembled rainbows. Yet, over the soul it’s snowing.
Soul snowflakes – kisses and, at times, entire panoramas,
They are in darkness, but glow for those that carry them.
Snowflakes will melt on roses,
But snow in the soul remains,
And will turn into savannah,
In the paws of the slipping years.
Does this snow melt when death removes us?
Or will the snow change and roses will be different, better?
Will we know rest and peace of Christ’s preaching?
Is there a resolution to this dilemma?
And what if love is only a lie? Who instills breath of life into us?
If only shadows of dusk give us true knowledge?
Perhaps, there is no Good, but the wounds of Evil are near.
If misunderstanding begins, when hope is stifled,
Then what torch will shed light on earthly wanderings?
If imagination is only azure, what is innocence, miracle?
What will happen to the heart, if love’s cupid will be short of arrows?
If death is merely death, what will happen to penniless poet?
To belongings that sleep forgotten?
Sun, sun of hopes! Transparent water and purity!
Hearts of the children! New moon! Mute rocks of the soul!
Today, in my heart - an uncertain shiver of constellations,
Today all roses are white as my grief, as retribution…
ОСЕННЯЯ ПЕСНЯ
Сегодня чувствую в сердце неясную дрожь созвездий,
Но глохнут в душе тумана моя тропинка и песня.
Свет мои крылья ломает, и боль печали, и знанья
В чистом источнике мысли полощет воспоминанья.
Все розы сегодня белы, как горе мое, как возмездье,
А если они не белы, то снег их выбелит вместе.
Прежде как радуга были. А снег идет над душою.
Снежинки души - поцелуи и целые сцены порою,
Они во тьме, но сияют для тех, кто несет их с собою.
На розах снежинки растают,
Но снег души остается,
И в лапах бегущих лет он
Саваном обернется.
Тает ли этот снег, когда смерть нас с собою уносит?
Или будет и снег другой, и другие - лучшие - розы?
Узнаем ли мир и покой мы согласно ученью Христову?
Или вовек невозможно Решенье вопроса такого?
А если любовь - лишь обман? Кто влагает в нас жизни дыханье,
Если только сумерек тень нам дает настоящее знанье?
Добра - его, может быть, нет, а Зло - оно рядом и ранит.
Если надежда погаснет, и начнется непониманье,
То какой же факел на свете осветит земные блужданья?
Если вымысел - синева, что станет с невинностью, с чудом?
Что с сердцем, что с сердцем станет, если стрел у любви н будет?
Если смерть - это только смерть, что станет с поэтом бездомным
И с вещами, которые спят оттого, что никто их не вспомнит?
О, солнце, солнце надежд! Воды прозрачность и ясность!
Сердца детей! Новолунье! Души камней безгласных!
Сегодня чувствую в сердце Неясную дрожь созвездий,,
Сегодня все розы белы, Как горе моё, как возмездье...
Canción Otoñal
Hoy siento en el corazón
un vago temblor de estrellas,
pero mi senda se pierde
en el alma de la niebla.
La luz me troncha las alas
y el dolor de mi tristeza
va mojando los recuerdos
en la fuente de la idea.
Todas las rosas son blancas,
tan blancas como mi pena,
y no son las rosas blancas,
que ha nevado sobre ellas.
Antes tuvieron el iris.
También sobre el alma nieva.
La nieve del alma tiene
copos de besos y escenas
que se hundieron en la sombra
o en la luz del que las piensa.
La nieve cae de las rosas,
pero la del alma queda,
y la garra de los años
hace un sudario con ellas.
¿Se deshelará la nieve
cuando la muerte nos lleva?
¿O después habrá otra nieve
y otras rosas más perfectas?
¿Será la paz con nosotros
como Cristo nos enseña?
¿O nunca será posible
la solución del problema?
¿Y si el amor nos engaña?
¿Quién la vida nos alienta
si el crepúsculo nos hunde
en la verdadera ciencia
del Bien que quizá no exista,
y del Mal que late cerca?
¿Si la esperanza se apaga
y la Babel se comienza,
qué antorcha iluminará
los caminos en la Tierra?
¿Si el azul es un ensueño,
qué será de la inocencia?
¿Qué será del corazón
si el Amor no tiene flechas?
¿Y si la muerte es la muerte,
qué será de los poetas
y de las cosas dormidas
que ya nadie las recuerda?
¡Oh sol de las esperanzas!
¡Agua clara! ¡Luna nueva!
¡Corazones de los niños!
¡Almas rudas de las piedras!
Hoy siento en el corazón
un vago temblor de estrellas
y todas las rosas son
tan blancas como mi pena.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Ode to Peace
Dove of peace protects humanity
From dreadful force of irrational men.
If the spirit can’t rise above force,
War and cunning delude men.
Who is the winner and looser?
Who will be saved and condemned?
Defending is honor,
Drawing the line – an art.
“In state of thoughtless stupor”
Orders are given, emperors rule,
Soldiers are sent to desserts,
Justifying means with a goal.
Impulses, passions, animal instincts
“I want to fight!!!”
But blood of the enemy turns into blood of your brother
And you die inside, with him.
Can true Christianity be,
Among those who chose the arms?
On the ideal day like this
Day of peace…
Chain of war breaks,
We progress in fire and blood
But not of violence,
But love and sacrifice…
From dreadful force of irrational men.
If the spirit can’t rise above force,
War and cunning delude men.
Who is the winner and looser?
Who will be saved and condemned?
Defending is honor,
Drawing the line – an art.
“In state of thoughtless stupor”
Orders are given, emperors rule,
Soldiers are sent to desserts,
Justifying means with a goal.
Impulses, passions, animal instincts
“I want to fight!!!”
But blood of the enemy turns into blood of your brother
And you die inside, with him.
Can true Christianity be,
Among those who chose the arms?
On the ideal day like this
Day of peace…
Chain of war breaks,
We progress in fire and blood
But not of violence,
But love and sacrifice…
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Back in the USSR
Before the trip I was joking that I was going back to the USSR and now I am here, in the center of it all - Moscow . But instead of the USSR-like austere surroundings and gloomy people, Moscow seems very vibrant, diverse, but immense.
In the airport a very uptight lady officer did not crack a “hello” or smiled, but asked me for my immigration card in a very unfriendly way (the fact that I forgot to fill it out did not help…). I was thinking on the plane, I really need to disguise my Ukrainian “g” and “sho”… (pronounce hard “g” and “chto” - “what”the way Russians do), so I can make it out of the airport with my luggage and passport without unnecessary issues. The polls have actually shown that the Russians extend their aversion to the Ukrainian citizens, and not just to the government, while in Ukraine, people seem to have a more skeptic and defensive attitude towards Putin and officials, and really have some sort of Slavic brotherly love towards the masses. We did make it safely to my parent’s apartment on Rechnoy Vokzal.
Moscow’s population is about 17 mln, which is multiple Kyivs and DC’s. With this enormous population, I’m always curious, where do all these people live and work? Who they go out with and marry, where they come from and what they do every day after work?
The bus from the Sheremetievo airport starts taking us through an open field one side and a forest on the other. Gradually, small “gastronomy” and kiosks are appearing, then we see large Russian malls Ashan, Metro, and even Ikea, but in Russian it reads “EKEA”. More cars appear on the roads as we are getting closer to civilization. “Zhiguli”, then Toyotas and Hondas. Gambling stations, cafes… All the standard Soviet-time apartment buildings all resemble each other, occasionally there is a newly built red brick high-raised buildings.
It is typical for a big city to have rather developed “rayony” - regions, where you can easily supply yourself with groceries and clothes should you not want to leave the city. A subunit of “rayon” is a “dvor”, which would be somewhat equivalent to blocks and yards in the U.S. where people know each other and have formed their own small community. This is what I saw when we entered the rayon of “Rechnoy Vokzal”, the River Station. A dozen of stores, small vendors and kiosks, teenagers strolling around looking like they own the area. That’s where you feel more foreign than in the center of the big city. On Sunday morning, every man’s face walking towards us looked as it was suffering from a cruel hangover. Those faces don’t just look frightening but extremely unattractive and hopeless. That “One in 8 million” feature on the NY Times about lives of ordinary but interesting individuals in New York, really should be adopted by some journalists in Moscow (although they might already have something similar). While most of the individual spotlight stories we’ll read in the U.S. are fascinating, in the Moscow version, they would probably be horrifying, sobering, and shocking.
Russian women…
Are beautiful, which includes being in tune with fashion, having natural beauty and knowing how to present it. I realized, that’s one skill I never want to loose or not acquire being in America, is how to be a woman. Russian women know how to accentuate their femininity, not always in the most modest way, but still they do much better than women in the U.S. While in America a lot of girls (a lot, but not all) only ruin their natural beauty with a series bad choices of clothes, make up and food, these women seem to only enhance their positive traits.
Russian women (mostly middle aged and grandmas) carry “кулёчки” , “kuliochki” which is plural diminutive form of the word “kuliok” (кулёк) which means - a plastic bag. However, it’s not a simple plastic bag, but it usually comes from a relatively recent purchase of shoes or clothes, most likely from a popular store. Then this bag is being reused as a useful addition to the purse. There is “kuliochek” because, she will stop by the store to get bread after work, or something did not fit in the purse. Kuliochek is always there.
Russian women wear high heels. Always. On the cobble stone on the Red Square, on unpaved streets and parks, they don’t even look down. They seem so comfortable in heels. And no, they did not drive or were dropped off, but most likely walked at least half a mile to the metro and then from there. It remains a mystery to me how their feet endure, for them it’s nothing more than a habit.
Home of Tolstoy
I knew that Tolstoy lived in Moscow at some point, but did not know that there is an estate on Leo Tolstoy street where he spent his 19 Moscow years and it is now a museum. Leo Tolstoy became not only quotes and novels, but a family man who sought family happiness for so long and lived through 19 years of it in this house with his wife Sonia Andreevna and their children.
I walked through the dining room, living room, bedroom, baby room, study and other rooms with preserved furniture, dishes and clothes. One of the rooms was meant to host home theatrical performances. The Tolstoys invited famous musicians and writers to participate in those home “спектакли” and concerts. In that room well-known composers Skriabin, Rachmaninoff and Rimskiy-Korsakov played piano and Shaliapin sang.
In his study, Tolstoy read his drafts to famous Chechov, Leskov, Ostrovkiy, Gorky, etc. It’s an unbelievable feeling to happen to be in one relatively small estate in enormous Moscow where someone who the world will continue to talk about for centuries lived everyday life, raised children and created important literary works that now identify Russia.
The most mundane details are the most interesting, because we can relate. Tolstoy wrote from 9-10am to 3-4pm and rested on the leather couch. He had coffee in the morning and also despised any luxury including the servants. That’s what you get for being a count!
His detailed journals inspire to write. Because, if nothing else, this is how we can leave trace after ourselves. And our trace is in our stories made up of us and other people.
The grandmas that check and sell tickets and, in a way, work as an American equivalent of the security guard, know about conversations Tolstoy had with children, wife, and guests.
Monticello and Mount Vernon are similar in this experience of penetrating in private details of life of people that the world looks up to.
At home in Kyiv
We got on a Moskva-Kyiv train, car #2, seat 9 and 11 because there are 4 in each “купэ” – “kupe” (2 lower beds and 2 upper beds.) There is always a chance you can fall off the upper one since it’s so narrow, so older people prefer lower beds.
We passed villages, “derevni”, abandoned constructions, empty train stations, fields and birch groves, pine forests, again birch groves… And some strange sadness or melancholy. Maybe it comes from seeing very distant and remote places that you understand but don’t belong to it. Unwillingly, I thought about my life in Washington, DC and imagined the life of someone digging the harvest in the village we just passed. Kожному своє… Seeing those isolated places where people live a peasant life without any luxuries people in the city enjoy is especially striking just because you once had a taste of this lifestyle, even briefly.
It’s the feeling I did not expect to have – it is so relieving to be at home. You know how there is a description of a world traveler or immigrant coming back to his/her motherland and kissing the soil of their land. Well, as banal as it is, I felt an inclination to do the same, only I breathed in the air and it smelled like something familiar and dear.
Nothing changed very much except for the new presidential campaign signs all over the city, more upper- class cars despite of crisis and stores. A series of campaign signs for Yulia Timoshenko say: “They talk, she works.” “They ruin, she works.” “They betray, she works.” It’s interesting how sometimes; we prove our superiority in comparison with others…But maybe for the Ukrainian politicians, including future president, honest and hard work – is the best thing they can offer to the nation.
The Branch in Kyiv
A lot of the people went on the temple trip and some were at youth conference, but there were a good 30-40 people at church. One of the most touching observations was seeing those girls I remember running around as little girls turned into young women. Even knowing that there is no surprise in this natural process, every time, it’s a miracle that children become adults. More than that, these families stayed in the church and were not sucked into chaos and problems of life over there. It is probably the first generation of children growing up in the church and it’s fascinating that these are pioneer generations of families that will expand the church in Ukraine.
Tsaritsyno
Catherine the Great did not like Moscow and called it “the city of idlers” (or slackers…). So she commissioned an estate in pseudo-Gothic style where she could visit when she had to come to Moscow. After getting somewhat tired and bored of world masterpieces of art (I have to admit, it’s true), I was happy to find Tsaritsyno park on the green line, not too far from where we lived. I actually appreciate that many of those cultured and prosperous people did not like Moscow, because they’ve created beautiful gardens and parks to escape hustle and bustle of Moscow, and employed so many simple mortals.
On the Boundary…
I do love Ukraine and Slavic nature. Only because I’ve been so immersed in American way of life for 7 years, now I can fully appreciate the strengths and see the weaknesses of Slavic cultural legacy. I like that. The fact that I don’t feel 100% comfortable or uncomfortable neither in Ukraine nor in the U.S. tells me that maybe we can move beyond cultures and observe them from a distance without attaching ourselves to certain mentality. Enjoy the best and reject the worst, know our roots and grow new branches. No matter how different the groups are, human nature is the same, and culture is a reflection of the way the human nature shows. The more we adapt, go under cultural shock, the more flexible the cultural boundaries become. Here is a great explanation by Adler:
“The identity of man (woman) is based, not on “belongingness” which implies either owning or being owned by culture, but on a style of self-consciousness that is capable of negotiating ever new formations of reality. In this sense multicultural man (woman) is a radical departure from the kinds of identities found in both traditional and mass societies. He (She) is neither totally part of nor totally apart from his (her) culture; he (she) lives, instead on the boundary.”
So, I think, I will live on the boundary.
In the airport a very uptight lady officer did not crack a “hello” or smiled, but asked me for my immigration card in a very unfriendly way (the fact that I forgot to fill it out did not help…). I was thinking on the plane, I really need to disguise my Ukrainian “g” and “sho”… (pronounce hard “g” and “chto” - “what”the way Russians do), so I can make it out of the airport with my luggage and passport without unnecessary issues. The polls have actually shown that the Russians extend their aversion to the Ukrainian citizens, and not just to the government, while in Ukraine, people seem to have a more skeptic and defensive attitude towards Putin and officials, and really have some sort of Slavic brotherly love towards the masses. We did make it safely to my parent’s apartment on Rechnoy Vokzal.
Moscow’s population is about 17 mln, which is multiple Kyivs and DC’s. With this enormous population, I’m always curious, where do all these people live and work? Who they go out with and marry, where they come from and what they do every day after work?
The bus from the Sheremetievo airport starts taking us through an open field one side and a forest on the other. Gradually, small “gastronomy” and kiosks are appearing, then we see large Russian malls Ashan, Metro, and even Ikea, but in Russian it reads “EKEA”. More cars appear on the roads as we are getting closer to civilization. “Zhiguli”, then Toyotas and Hondas. Gambling stations, cafes… All the standard Soviet-time apartment buildings all resemble each other, occasionally there is a newly built red brick high-raised buildings.
It is typical for a big city to have rather developed “rayony” - regions, where you can easily supply yourself with groceries and clothes should you not want to leave the city. A subunit of “rayon” is a “dvor”, which would be somewhat equivalent to blocks and yards in the U.S. where people know each other and have formed their own small community. This is what I saw when we entered the rayon of “Rechnoy Vokzal”, the River Station. A dozen of stores, small vendors and kiosks, teenagers strolling around looking like they own the area. That’s where you feel more foreign than in the center of the big city. On Sunday morning, every man’s face walking towards us looked as it was suffering from a cruel hangover. Those faces don’t just look frightening but extremely unattractive and hopeless. That “One in 8 million” feature on the NY Times about lives of ordinary but interesting individuals in New York, really should be adopted by some journalists in Moscow (although they might already have something similar). While most of the individual spotlight stories we’ll read in the U.S. are fascinating, in the Moscow version, they would probably be horrifying, sobering, and shocking.
Russian women…
Are beautiful, which includes being in tune with fashion, having natural beauty and knowing how to present it. I realized, that’s one skill I never want to loose or not acquire being in America, is how to be a woman. Russian women know how to accentuate their femininity, not always in the most modest way, but still they do much better than women in the U.S. While in America a lot of girls (a lot, but not all) only ruin their natural beauty with a series bad choices of clothes, make up and food, these women seem to only enhance their positive traits.
Russian women (mostly middle aged and grandmas) carry “кулёчки” , “kuliochki” which is plural diminutive form of the word “kuliok” (кулёк) which means - a plastic bag. However, it’s not a simple plastic bag, but it usually comes from a relatively recent purchase of shoes or clothes, most likely from a popular store. Then this bag is being reused as a useful addition to the purse. There is “kuliochek” because, she will stop by the store to get bread after work, or something did not fit in the purse. Kuliochek is always there.
Russian women wear high heels. Always. On the cobble stone on the Red Square, on unpaved streets and parks, they don’t even look down. They seem so comfortable in heels. And no, they did not drive or were dropped off, but most likely walked at least half a mile to the metro and then from there. It remains a mystery to me how their feet endure, for them it’s nothing more than a habit.
Home of Tolstoy
I knew that Tolstoy lived in Moscow at some point, but did not know that there is an estate on Leo Tolstoy street where he spent his 19 Moscow years and it is now a museum. Leo Tolstoy became not only quotes and novels, but a family man who sought family happiness for so long and lived through 19 years of it in this house with his wife Sonia Andreevna and their children.
I walked through the dining room, living room, bedroom, baby room, study and other rooms with preserved furniture, dishes and clothes. One of the rooms was meant to host home theatrical performances. The Tolstoys invited famous musicians and writers to participate in those home “спектакли” and concerts. In that room well-known composers Skriabin, Rachmaninoff and Rimskiy-Korsakov played piano and Shaliapin sang.
In his study, Tolstoy read his drafts to famous Chechov, Leskov, Ostrovkiy, Gorky, etc. It’s an unbelievable feeling to happen to be in one relatively small estate in enormous Moscow where someone who the world will continue to talk about for centuries lived everyday life, raised children and created important literary works that now identify Russia.
The most mundane details are the most interesting, because we can relate. Tolstoy wrote from 9-10am to 3-4pm and rested on the leather couch. He had coffee in the morning and also despised any luxury including the servants. That’s what you get for being a count!
His detailed journals inspire to write. Because, if nothing else, this is how we can leave trace after ourselves. And our trace is in our stories made up of us and other people.
The grandmas that check and sell tickets and, in a way, work as an American equivalent of the security guard, know about conversations Tolstoy had with children, wife, and guests.
Monticello and Mount Vernon are similar in this experience of penetrating in private details of life of people that the world looks up to.
At home in Kyiv
We got on a Moskva-Kyiv train, car #2, seat 9 and 11 because there are 4 in each “купэ” – “kupe” (2 lower beds and 2 upper beds.) There is always a chance you can fall off the upper one since it’s so narrow, so older people prefer lower beds.
We passed villages, “derevni”, abandoned constructions, empty train stations, fields and birch groves, pine forests, again birch groves… And some strange sadness or melancholy. Maybe it comes from seeing very distant and remote places that you understand but don’t belong to it. Unwillingly, I thought about my life in Washington, DC and imagined the life of someone digging the harvest in the village we just passed. Kожному своє… Seeing those isolated places where people live a peasant life without any luxuries people in the city enjoy is especially striking just because you once had a taste of this lifestyle, even briefly.
It’s the feeling I did not expect to have – it is so relieving to be at home. You know how there is a description of a world traveler or immigrant coming back to his/her motherland and kissing the soil of their land. Well, as banal as it is, I felt an inclination to do the same, only I breathed in the air and it smelled like something familiar and dear.
Nothing changed very much except for the new presidential campaign signs all over the city, more upper- class cars despite of crisis and stores. A series of campaign signs for Yulia Timoshenko say: “They talk, she works.” “They ruin, she works.” “They betray, she works.” It’s interesting how sometimes; we prove our superiority in comparison with others…But maybe for the Ukrainian politicians, including future president, honest and hard work – is the best thing they can offer to the nation.
The Branch in Kyiv
A lot of the people went on the temple trip and some were at youth conference, but there were a good 30-40 people at church. One of the most touching observations was seeing those girls I remember running around as little girls turned into young women. Even knowing that there is no surprise in this natural process, every time, it’s a miracle that children become adults. More than that, these families stayed in the church and were not sucked into chaos and problems of life over there. It is probably the first generation of children growing up in the church and it’s fascinating that these are pioneer generations of families that will expand the church in Ukraine.
Tsaritsyno
Catherine the Great did not like Moscow and called it “the city of idlers” (or slackers…). So she commissioned an estate in pseudo-Gothic style where she could visit when she had to come to Moscow. After getting somewhat tired and bored of world masterpieces of art (I have to admit, it’s true), I was happy to find Tsaritsyno park on the green line, not too far from where we lived. I actually appreciate that many of those cultured and prosperous people did not like Moscow, because they’ve created beautiful gardens and parks to escape hustle and bustle of Moscow, and employed so many simple mortals.
On the Boundary…
I do love Ukraine and Slavic nature. Only because I’ve been so immersed in American way of life for 7 years, now I can fully appreciate the strengths and see the weaknesses of Slavic cultural legacy. I like that. The fact that I don’t feel 100% comfortable or uncomfortable neither in Ukraine nor in the U.S. tells me that maybe we can move beyond cultures and observe them from a distance without attaching ourselves to certain mentality. Enjoy the best and reject the worst, know our roots and grow new branches. No matter how different the groups are, human nature is the same, and culture is a reflection of the way the human nature shows. The more we adapt, go under cultural shock, the more flexible the cultural boundaries become. Here is a great explanation by Adler:
“The identity of man (woman) is based, not on “belongingness” which implies either owning or being owned by culture, but on a style of self-consciousness that is capable of negotiating ever new formations of reality. In this sense multicultural man (woman) is a radical departure from the kinds of identities found in both traditional and mass societies. He (She) is neither totally part of nor totally apart from his (her) culture; he (she) lives, instead on the boundary.”
So, I think, I will live on the boundary.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
New York City can always be rediscovered and as one, somewhat lunatic, man on the street told me – every block in NYC is “bloggable”. I keep going back to the same places in NYC, but having new experiences. It's like getting to know someone who is very well-rounded - NYC would represent that well-traveled, artsy and business minded, ambitious and free spirited personality.
New York has something that Washington, DC does not have. It’s these groups of people from Russia, China and other places, who fully recreated their home communities in the New York and comfortably spend their leisure time as if they were in their home country. Places like Chinatown, Brighton Beach give a snapshot of day-to-day life of people as if they were living in China or Russia (or the USSR). Going to an embassy in Washington is not the same.
I like being in places where people are living, where the time is “non-linear” (or polychromic) and people’s activities are subordinate more to interpersonal relationships and not money, or professional success.
The New York Times has a great interactive feature on NYC “One in 8 million”. It’s fascinating.
“http://nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html?ref=multimedia
Below is Chinatown, the Guggenheim Museum, Brooklyn Bridge, and, apparently, of the best NYC pizzerias.
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365457401211848082" />
New York has something that Washington, DC does not have. It’s these groups of people from Russia, China and other places, who fully recreated their home communities in the New York and comfortably spend their leisure time as if they were in their home country. Places like Chinatown, Brighton Beach give a snapshot of day-to-day life of people as if they were living in China or Russia (or the USSR). Going to an embassy in Washington is not the same.
I like being in places where people are living, where the time is “non-linear” (or polychromic) and people’s activities are subordinate more to interpersonal relationships and not money, or professional success.
The New York Times has a great interactive feature on NYC “One in 8 million”. It’s fascinating.
“http://nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/index.html?ref=multimedia
Below is Chinatown, the Guggenheim Museum, Brooklyn Bridge, and, apparently, of the best NYC pizzerias.
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365457401211848082" />
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Cost Centers
Every other week, I fill out a timesheet. On Thursday or Friday at work, we get this email sent to “All.Meridian” with an exciting reminder “Timesheets are due”.Every week, they remind me in a different way that I get a paycheck (filling out time sheet and actually getting paid).I log into my labor manager account and select 5 days of the work week. There are Saturday and Sunday options which, luckily, I never have to check. Once I check all the boxes I proceed to choosing the cost center***. It’s obviously a usual system for many organizations to bill every hour of the work time to a specific cost center. At Meridian, I should say, in Development, we have different projects and each one has its own long cost center number which starts with zeros. Every time I fill out a timesheet, I think that this procedure could be less annoying, and also, how I can never be 100% accurate about my time. Usually, I bill my time to “Meridian Ball FY2010”, which may or may not mean that the institutional fundraiser pays my salary, then “Meridian Corporate Council”, a very slowly emerging new corporate program, ambiguous “development”, etc.
***Cost Centers are responsible for producing an agreed level of output (quantity + quality). Their efficiency is measured and rewarded according to how fully it achieves that objective.
The whole timesheet and cost center selection process made me think of and idea of creating cost centers for life outside of work. And, I think I’ll call this plan: “Master Time Control: 100% productivity”. Basically, it’s pretty self-explanatory – every action you complete falls under a cost center that you create. Every hour of your mundane or exciting life ends up in an organized category of activities which might have an end goal or simply be somewhat planned in advance. It is a good idea, because life cost centers can have very vague names, for example “Physical Health and Maintenance”: you need to bill your run, your haircut, manicure to this one. I don’t know if it matters significantly the amount of hours each cost center is billed, but the important point is that you have control over your time which, in a way, makes your life.
So here are my cost centers and the purpose for this new “Master Time Control” plan:
Purpose: To see the world through many lenses; to understand different minds and styles to relate to them; to expand my understanding and reach of my usefulness;
Cost Center #1: The purpose of businesses, corporate relations and communications.
I work on building and maintaining corporate relations and need to use my position in its fullest to master the skills of building business relationship for the benefit of my organization, corporate presentation and communication. Activity: researching corporations, networking, reading somewhat dull articles, working in excel spreadsheets, going to boring meetings, going to intimidating meetings, making power points, directly asking for money, etc.
Cost Center #2: Cross-Cultural Communications and Eastern Europe-US relations.
I like understanding how the Eastern European culture and mentality compare to the American mindset, how the two connect and relate to each other. Activities: reading Ukrainian news and cross-cultural analysis (there is a lot of theory), teaching Ukrainian with the Global Languge Networks at GW, going to the Ukrainian Embassy, translating for people and delegations, and being a liaison where possible.
Cost Center #3: Religious studying. Activity: scripture reading and studying of church materials, speeches, field trips to church sites, temple attendance, etc.
Cost Center #4: Photography, writing, poetry, music. Activity: maintaining a dynamically improving blog, documenting events and places, letting the words shape up in awkward poems, reading American and Russian poetry, playing guitar and piano, practicing talents once discovered and recently neglected. Traveling should fall in this category as a necessary context!
Cost Center #5: Physical Health. Maintaining a healthy physique and nourishment. Activity: running, bike riding, exercising, playing tennis… Eating carrots and hummus. oh wait, I already do that… in access.
Cost Center #6: Interpersonal/Pointless Fun. Now, this doesn’t mean that whenever I am with people it’s a pointless activity. However, it can be, and it’s ok! Because most likely, if I am with people that are my friends that inspire me and that I can help in any way, no activity is pointless but rewarding. I forget the author, but there is a saying from the Eastern philosophy that a 10 minute conversation with a man is more important and can have more influence than years of studying books. We should be selective about people we surround ourselves with.
Cost Center #7: Homemaking. Activity: expanding my menu of Ukrainian dishes, among which I have currently available borshch, salat Olivie, a variety of cabbage salads, and some other things… Also, maintaining cleanliness and order in the house.
Cost Center #8: Literature. This is to justify reading a good book , which is not part of work or curriculum. Activity: going down the book list of books I MUST read before I die. I now have about 5, but gradually expanding. Current read "Brothers Karamazov"...
As a conclusion, these cost centers might overlap. Each one is to learn and benefit others. And, to not get paid... Somehow, though, my life feels more organized.
***Cost Centers are responsible for producing an agreed level of output (quantity + quality). Their efficiency is measured and rewarded according to how fully it achieves that objective.
The whole timesheet and cost center selection process made me think of and idea of creating cost centers for life outside of work. And, I think I’ll call this plan: “Master Time Control: 100% productivity”. Basically, it’s pretty self-explanatory – every action you complete falls under a cost center that you create. Every hour of your mundane or exciting life ends up in an organized category of activities which might have an end goal or simply be somewhat planned in advance. It is a good idea, because life cost centers can have very vague names, for example “Physical Health and Maintenance”: you need to bill your run, your haircut, manicure to this one. I don’t know if it matters significantly the amount of hours each cost center is billed, but the important point is that you have control over your time which, in a way, makes your life.
So here are my cost centers and the purpose for this new “Master Time Control” plan:
Purpose: To see the world through many lenses; to understand different minds and styles to relate to them; to expand my understanding and reach of my usefulness;
Cost Center #1: The purpose of businesses, corporate relations and communications.
I work on building and maintaining corporate relations and need to use my position in its fullest to master the skills of building business relationship for the benefit of my organization, corporate presentation and communication. Activity: researching corporations, networking, reading somewhat dull articles, working in excel spreadsheets, going to boring meetings, going to intimidating meetings, making power points, directly asking for money, etc.
Cost Center #2: Cross-Cultural Communications and Eastern Europe-US relations.
I like understanding how the Eastern European culture and mentality compare to the American mindset, how the two connect and relate to each other. Activities: reading Ukrainian news and cross-cultural analysis (there is a lot of theory), teaching Ukrainian with the Global Languge Networks at GW, going to the Ukrainian Embassy, translating for people and delegations, and being a liaison where possible.
Cost Center #3: Religious studying. Activity: scripture reading and studying of church materials, speeches, field trips to church sites, temple attendance, etc.
Cost Center #4: Photography, writing, poetry, music. Activity: maintaining a dynamically improving blog, documenting events and places, letting the words shape up in awkward poems, reading American and Russian poetry, playing guitar and piano, practicing talents once discovered and recently neglected. Traveling should fall in this category as a necessary context!
Cost Center #5: Physical Health. Maintaining a healthy physique and nourishment. Activity: running, bike riding, exercising, playing tennis… Eating carrots and hummus. oh wait, I already do that… in access.
Cost Center #6: Interpersonal/Pointless Fun. Now, this doesn’t mean that whenever I am with people it’s a pointless activity. However, it can be, and it’s ok! Because most likely, if I am with people that are my friends that inspire me and that I can help in any way, no activity is pointless but rewarding. I forget the author, but there is a saying from the Eastern philosophy that a 10 minute conversation with a man is more important and can have more influence than years of studying books. We should be selective about people we surround ourselves with.
Cost Center #7: Homemaking. Activity: expanding my menu of Ukrainian dishes, among which I have currently available borshch, salat Olivie, a variety of cabbage salads, and some other things… Also, maintaining cleanliness and order in the house.
Cost Center #8: Literature. This is to justify reading a good book , which is not part of work or curriculum. Activity: going down the book list of books I MUST read before I die. I now have about 5, but gradually expanding. Current read "Brothers Karamazov"...
As a conclusion, these cost centers might overlap. Each one is to learn and benefit others. And, to not get paid... Somehow, though, my life feels more organized.
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