Have you ever listened to national anthems of different countries? Of course not, you probably have a life! But if you’re ever bored, check them out on Youtube. Interesting how appropriate they are for their country.
I was very inspired by the Russian national anthem and wrote to Pravda, just trying to spread some good will around the world. They printed it right on their front (online) page. A rabid neo-nazi wrote a comment, just trying to spread some ill will around the world I guess.
Dear Pravda,
I am an American, descendant of an immigrant, like all Americans. All my life I heard that Russians wanted to kill us. We had bomb drills at school, because Russians might kill us at any moment. They told me the Russians would eat my pony when they came.
One night on television I saw Russian people and they looked just like regular people. I began to wonder if Russian children were told that Americans wanted to kill them and eat their ponies, too. I began to wonder if it was all a big pack of lies. Now, after all these years, I’m pretty sure it was. The lies aren’t going down so well this time around, in Cold War 2.0.
I was inspired to write while studying national anthems. Ours is about the War of 1812, just one of many wars we’ve been in, I am sorry to say. “Bombs bursting in air,” is apparently part of our national consciousness. The British anthem is dignified, the Japanese is exotic and the French is fierce and bloody.
The Russian anthem is, hands down, the best. It makes me want to get up and do something great, though I’m not sure what-build a bridge, maybe, defend the motherland or harvest 100 acres of wheat single-handed. I wonder if it makes Russians feel the same. I suspect it does, because we are all humans and we humans have so much in common. We want to live, raise good children and leave the world a little better than we found it.
I don’t want to kill anyone and I don’t want my country to kill anyone. I don’t want to eat any child’s pony, or for any child to live in fear. We may all look back on a past Golden Age, but I believe the Golden Age is yet to come, and it will come because we make better choices today.
Best wishes,
Je’ Czaja
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