And Quiet Flows The Don

When I was a teenager I saw “Dr. Zhivago” for the first time. My favorite movie of all time! It motivated me to read the book, “Dr. Zhivago”, “The Brothers Karamazov”, plays by Chekhov, and the 1965 Nobel prize winner, “And Quiet Flows the Don.” Of course, I knew the USSR was our mortal enemy and helping Communist North Vietnam in the hot war I expected to fight. Still, I found Russia fascinating.

Likewise, the wonkish three hour movie about the American buried in the Kremlin, “Reds”, intrigued me a few years later. I always wanted to travel through Russia, but that seems unlikely – forever for me now. Read Solzhenitsyn and other works throughout my years as a soldier as I studied the Soviets to figure out how to defeat them. Then, six months after I came home from the Fulda Gap in Germany, the Berlin Wall came down.

Never lost my interest in Russia.

Now, sitting here at the home I named “Sanctuary”, because it is, I found “And Quiet Flows the Don” as a movie on Amazon Prime. Stalin had suppressed the book, but in the thaw after his death, the Soviets made it an hours long epic movie in 1957. Consequently, it’s way over-acted, almost like a silent movie, but the several key points resonated with me.

First, just as the culture of the Don Cossacks is so different from our fragile freedom bubble on the English-Speaking Peoples 21^st Century branch of Western Civilization with our First World issues, I’ll bet today’s Ukrainians and Russians remain very distinctly different from us. The ideas that shape their culture – like one thousand years of autocracy – are different, so the culture and what – how – people think is different. Just as we found the folks living in Iraq and Afghanistan weren’t from middle America.

So, we shouldn’t mirror image anything about this war – especially the possible nightmare scenario of nuclear war.

Flash of the obvious? Second, their unique history molds their minds and lives differently. Ukraine and Russia suffered horribly since the start of World War I in 1914. War and man-made tragedies, upon atrocity, upon crimes against humanity, upon repression and political murder – and for Ukraine, deliberate starvation – were beyond awful. Now, the descendants of survivors are back in it. Makes me want to weep for all of them. Both sides.

Finally, I wonder what became of the Don Cossacks? They were decimated by Russia’s Civil War, Stalin’s Purges, and in World War II. I know there are people who call themselves “Cossack” with the traditional dress, songs, and dancing, but how Cossack are they? Much like today’s Scottish Highlander wearing his kilt and knowing his history is far removed from the Clan tribal culture that had it’s last rising over 275 years ago.

Which side are today’s Don Cossacks serving? During the Russian Civil War they fought for the Reds and the Whites. Some served on both sides. Some served with renegade bands like bandits.

When will the horror of Putin’s War end? How? Will it set the stage for another war, like WW I did for WW II?

I can analyze military capabilities but have no clue what will happen in this war. Hope it is peace soon. Especially, the best possible peace that leaves neither side completely content and most Americans confused.

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