Anthems (4) – Russia Again

I’ve been immersed in the Russian national anthem, which I find interesting and appealing for several reasons.  More than other anthems, it makes me think and reflect.  And I’ve been improving my Russian by trying to learn the lyrics.
 

The Russian anthem retains the music of the previous Soviet anthem.  Therefore the current anthem brings to mind the earlier anthem.  This was a point of controversy, but this links the present and the past—perhaps in a provocative way.  But modern Russia is linked to its Soviet past.

The 1944 Soviet anthem mentions Stalin as well as “Great Lenin.”  It alludes to the victory over the Nazi invaders.  It mentions the “will of the people,” and victories, and the people’s glory. 

Not surprisingly, the 1977 Soviet revision dropped the reference to Stalin.  But it also dropped references to the war.  Still, only now did we see overt references to Communism (unless my sources are wrong).  For example:

“The Party of Lenin, the strength of the people/Leads us to the triumph of Communism!”  And:  “In the victory of the immortal ideas of Communism/We see the future of our country.”

With this backdrop, we come to the current Russian anthem, beginning with references to “our sacred homeland” and “our beloved country.”  It goes on to mention “Age-old union of fraternal peoples/Ancestor-given wisdom of the people!”

Beautiful stuff!  It continues with references to the vast and varied geography of the country:  “From the southern seas to the polar lands/Spread are our forests and fields./You are unique in the world, one of a kind.”

Finally, it becomes more personal and human:  “Wide spaces for dreams and for living
Are opened for us by the coming years.”

So it has dropped the overt political propaganda of the 1977 Soviet anthem and instead combined patriotism, geography, and humanity.  Not bad for an anthem!  Almost ideal!

And yet—the first verse proclaims the Russian heritage will be “a mighty will, a great glory.”  I’m not convinced that this is ideal.  The second verse mentions “this sacred land protected by God.”  This, of course, was a bone of contention for the remaining atheist communists—and raises questions about the role of religion in modern Russia (but then, religion—meaning Orthodox Christianity—had always had a strong role in Russia).  The third verse proclaims:  “Our strength is derived through our loyalty to the Fatherland./Thus it was, thus it is and thus it always will be!”  That last phrasing is taken from religion; but—probably because I am an American—the idea that strength comes from loyalty to the country somehow bothers me.  American tend to distrust governments.  But then again governments are distinct from countries.

What is the purpose of a national anthem, after all?  And who is it written for?  The current Russian anthem is pretty remarkable.

“An Unpleasant Speculation”

Thinking in the shower this morning, I engaged in wild speculations about the possible future breakup of the United States. The question being, where exactly the boundaries would be between the old “Union” and the old “Confederacy.”

The thought came after reading online postings about gun control and the recent killings in Connecticut.  I’m more and more aware that people have visceral reactions to certain events and issues; and different people have wildly different reactions.

I’ve known this for a long time.  But recently I’ve become much more aware of how important gun ownership is for some people.  The idea of gun control hits them very personally.  Some people feel vulnerable and feel they need guns to protect themselves.  Other people feel threatened by knowing that people around them own guns.

For myself, I will issue a disclaimer:  Although I try to listen to other people’s points of view and understand them—and I think I do understand a lot of them—my natural inclinations tend towards the liberal side of politics.  So I have to work harder to understand the more conservative viewpoint.  But I try.

The United States started as thirteen colonies that agreed to come together as a loose confederation, then as a “more perfect union.”  We fought a bloody civil war when roughly half the country decided they’d rather opt out on what they saw the country becoming.  They were forced to remain in.

But what if the differences become too great?  The Soviet government eventually could not hold the Soviet Union together.  Czechoslovakia eventually split into separate Czech and Slovak countries.  Those dissolutions occurred peacefully; Yugoslavia became a disaster.

The Jihadis who fought the Soviets in Afghanistan take credit for the collapse of the Soviet Union.  I’ve always thought Bin Laden had something similar in mind for us, and I always thought it was silly.  We don’t have the same extremes of ethnic and religious hatred as existed in Yugoslavia.  We have a long and strong democratic tradition, unlike the Soviet Union.

But I’m beginning to wonder.  I thought the 2008 presidential election was pretty disgraceful, and 2012 was worse.  And watching the defensiveness and fear of various political, social, and religious factions in the United States, I’m not as confident as I used to be.  I used to think, “We’re all Americans, after all!”  

But the very meaning of America is becoming vastly different for different segments of the population.  Is the “American Dream” about freedom of thought and expression?  Or is it about becoming financially independent?  Or is it about becoming, to use an expression, “filthy rich?”  Is it about becoming more powerful than everyone else, so that you can thumb your nose at them?  Or is it about building a community where everyone is welcome—and where, possibly, everyone is cared for?

I don’t know.  I envision a “New Confederacy” of roughly the old southern Confederacy and the general area of the Louisiana Purchase, as well as Utah and Arizona.  What is left of the “United States” is split into three separate enclaves:  The northeast, the Pacific coast, and Colorado/New Mexico (maybe).  Not a pleasant sight.

My father once mused that the U.S. had lost its vision, and that the Soviets would triumph.  I’ve always been more worried about our own internal stresses.  I’d like to think we’ll pull through.