About Russians

I’ve been in Siberia two weeks now, so that makes me an expert on all things Russia. Today, gentle reader, I will focus my luminous profundity like a laser on just one aspect of Russia: the Russian soul.

Okay, I got nothing….

I think it was Churchill who described Russia as something like, “An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, clothed in a mystery”. That was a pretty good line. But of course it overstates the case. In many ways, Russians seem to want and value the same things that we in America do. And certainly their diet and habits are less strange to an American than would be true in New Deli or Zanzibar (and I am very happy to have worked Zanzibar into this post). But one thing I did tend to notice about Russian people, and it seems more fundamental than food or custom.

Russians are simply deeper, and sadder, than Americans.

Now, of course that is a generalization. But this is what I mean. I noticed very little frivolity or playfulness among the Russians (with a few exceptions who were Christians). No-one on the street smiles. No-one makes small talk. You can walk down a narrow path and the Russian going the other way will walk past you within two inches and never acknowledge your existence by word or smile. EVERY TIME. This is not to say Russians are rude. I never got mean looks or harsh gestures. And a Russian will be quite friendly after they get to know you. It’s just that they have no patience for useless chatter or frivolous gestures.

But I will also say this. In talking with Russians, there is also a depth and substance in the conversation that is so often lacking in the states. Russians think. They reflect on the meaning of events, not just the events themselves. I am not surprised this country has produced the world's greatest novelists, as well as the greatest chess players.

It would take a larger intellect than mine (and yes, there are some; about four, I think), to discern the reason for this difference. But I can’t help but think that it has to do with how much Russia has suffered. We in America simply have no national tragedy like Russia has had repeatedly. The oppression of the Czars gave way to the oppression of the communists. The curse of collectivism led to decades of food shortage and political violence. Even the years after communism have not been kind; the nineties had all the pains of any new birth. And if you really want to make a Russian mad, imply that America’s sacrifice in World War II somehow compares to Russia’s. Some 20 million Russians lost their lives in that war. The country was invaded and sacked. In many ways, the country is just now recovering from the ravages of the first half of the twentieth century.

So I don’t blame the Russian soul for being more serious and subdued than its American counter-part. And I pray that prosperity and stability increase in this land. And I also pray that they will not drown out the greatness of wonder of what is distinctively Russian.