Warm Peace

Alex(my friend) telling me in Russian:

-Ask this German guy what they study at school about World War 2.

Me:

-Well…I noticed Chris is not excited about discussing this topic. Should I translate anyway?

Boys hesitated. They didn’t want to break incipient friendship with this charming German. Fritz(instead of Chris) as Pax called him.) Surprisingly, I wanted to know his answer more than even my Ukrainian dudes. What do THEY study in Germany?

I translated to Chris.

Guess what? He was glad to tell finally HIS point of view. He started with saying:

-We study WW2 for whole 3 years. Only WW2.

-WOW! For three years?

-Yes, but let me finish. We go to school longer than you, I am 22 now, but I study the same year at college, so I have to know at least SOMETHING better than you! We are taught every detail about WW2 so we would always remember all those horrible things happened and never let it occur again.

-Ok, in this case…Would you answer the simple question? Which battle was the lynchpin in World War Two? I had the dispute on this topic not so long time ago…

-In fact, there were TWO key battles.

I vanished. The answer supposed to be easy for me, but I was too shallow-brained before. Chris began describing two key points – in Stalingrad – modern St.Petersburg (He pronounced as “Shtalingrad” in German way, of course.) and opening West Front.

-We made the same mistake as Napoleon did. We attacked Russia - And we shouldn’t.

Chris smiled this time.

-Hey…have you read “War and Peace” about Napoleon? – I asked my German friend.

He answered without thinking twice:

-Yes.

Pax grinned:

-Holly shit, even I didn’t read it…

(It’s obligatory literary work to read in high school in Ukraine, Russian literary masterpiece – who still doesn’t know thisJ)

This is how I felt there are no boundaries between countries indeed. At least between European ones)

I love books. Especially Lev Tolstoy.

Ich liebe Deutschland. .

…The greater the state, the more wrong and cruel its patriotism, and the greater is the sum of suffering upon which its power is founded.

…Without knowing what I am and why I am here, life is impossible.
… Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source.
Leo Tolstoy

Well, I really wish I could know what I am and why I am here.)

But for now Chris has left Ukraine on Monday and my native city – Lugansk the day before it. He became really close with my best friends and all of us will truly miss him.