There’s very little worth saying except that throughout my eclectic work path I have shared many hours with persons from many different countries and cultures in Europe, and that includes quite a few from former Soviet Union.
A few of my cherished acquaintances hail from two of the Baltic states and from both countries engaged in the most recent conflict in Europe. The human lifeline on communicating with them was never lost and we keep in touch from time to time and it is evident that not everything is well as one is staying behind to defend what he believes in, while his wife and daughter have been evacuated while another is still trying to make sense of what is really happening as the life inside the Federation (St. Peters-burg) was going smoothly until a few days ago, with a good salary when compared to EU standards and more than comparable lifestyle. Life was good. Was. Suddenly isn’t.
note: filling his head with my perspective of things hasn’t been productive and I ceased it.
Friends in Latvia and Lithuania ( and Finland ) are certainly more apprehensive nowadays but continue to perform as before albeit, as they put it, having cut in drinks and shows.
It is easy to take conclusions from my comfortable office and home. I live in a democratic and parliamentary country where all voices are heard and the needs of the many will always take precedence over the fashions of the few but at the end of the day the essence is the same – do a good job and have a happy life.
All that remains during a conflict is what my father points as the “stealing of virtues” to all involved, even us in (still) free democracies. Our virtues are diluted by intense barrages of information but one thing is undeniable. A democracy is based on working together to achieve a best overall result. Wanting to destroy that for egotistical motives is tyrannical.
The needs of the many will always take priority over the wants of the few, never forgetting that the weak and incapable of defending themselves are those in most need, as opposed to a tyranny where the wants of the few overrule the needs of the many.
Being a player of games based on conflicts, both real and imaginary, I tend to focus on the gallant and romanticised literary aspects, no less due to being more of a fan of everything prior to “modern”.
Wargame to study, to learn and more importantly, to be able to understand and in the end be able to state – That was fun !
That is all that matters. A good job, a happy life and good wargaming and the freedom to do so.
wargamer.coffee.break 