A rabbi is lying on his deathbed. His wisest disciple kneels beside the old rabbi, the second-wisest behind him, the third-wisest behind, and so on, down the length of the bed, into the hall, down the stairs, and out into the street where the simplest student is at the back of the line.
The wisest student leans over and in a soft, reverent voice asks, “Great Rabbi, before you go to be with God, please tell us: What is the meaning of life?”
The rabbi raises his head a little, slowly opens his eyes, draws a rattling breath, and with great effort says, “Life... Life is... is like... a river.” He shuts his eyes, dropping his head back onto the pillow.
The wisest student turns to the student behind him and says, “The Rabbi says life is like a river!” That student turns to the one behind him and repeats this wisdom, and so on and so forth, out of the room, down the hall, down the stairs, and outside to the end of the line, until the second-simplest student turns to the simplest and says “The Rabbi says life is like a river!”
The simplest student, realizing he has no one to tell, contemplates it silently. After a moment, he taps the student ahead of him on the shoulder and says “Excuse me, but... why is life like a river?”
This message gets passed up to the front of the line, until the second-wisest whispers in the wisest student’s ear: “Moishe wants to know why life is like a river.” The wisest student leans over the Rabbi and again, soft and reverently, he said, “Great Rabbi, your students have brought forth a question! Please, O wise one, tell us: why is life like a river?”
The old rabbi raises his head again, slowly opens his eyes, draws another rattling breath, and says... “Okay, so it’s not like a river....”
Your early experiences, books you’ve read - all come out in your writing showing a depth of thinking that is refreshing in its rarity in today’s so-called journalists. They feel more like secretaries taking dictation than original thinkers.
This resonated with me. I lived in communist Yugoslavia during the 1980s, married to a Yuslavian "rock" star. I traveled the country with him for his concerts and lived between London and a village near Lake Bled. Got into some dangerous situations myself, which I've also written about. Yugoslavia was relatively tame as far as communism goes compared to the other Eastern European countries but it was eye-opening none-the-less. Wild and crazy days.
I worked as a low ranking investment banker on an assignment in Moscow for a couple of months ca 1994. I was a total outsider staying in extremely expensive hotels, knowing no locals and speaking not a word of Russian. And, despite a lifetime of being an expat all over the world, that Russian experience was by far the weirdest in my life. I would love to read your stories, since unlike me you experienced the real Russia and you're a much better writer than I am.
Maybe Matt, the fiction writer in you was still developing, waiting for the next adventure during a period of real need? As Muriel Rukeyser reminds us, the universe is made of stories, not atoms. Something Alexei might have been whispering to you on the your adventures as well.
Dude, just publish the manuscript via subscription like John McWhorter is doing. Your readers will eat that shit up. Don’t even clean it up, I like it gonzo.
These are good times to write a book about the demise of the USSR. Russian Americans say that some aspects of today's U.S. remind them of their experiences in the 80s and 90s in that region.
Matt, you are the next https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryszard_Kapu%C5%9Bci%C5%84ski and don't know it. Do me a favor and read his book "Imperium" about the downfall of the U.S.S.R. . . . then get-a-move-on and write your damned book. No excuses. You only have a limited time on this earth. Don't deny humanity of your talent.
You Kept humor alive in those very dark times in Russia for English language readers. Russians did not need help with humor but for us expats, even when your humor was at our expense, especially when it was , was the greatest relief. You spared no one and it was also a great act of courage. For many an important era ended when you closed Exile and left Moscow.
A rabbi is lying on his deathbed. His wisest disciple kneels beside the old rabbi, the second-wisest behind him, the third-wisest behind, and so on, down the length of the bed, into the hall, down the stairs, and out into the street where the simplest student is at the back of the line.
The wisest student leans over and in a soft, reverent voice asks, “Great Rabbi, before you go to be with God, please tell us: What is the meaning of life?”
The rabbi raises his head a little, slowly opens his eyes, draws a rattling breath, and with great effort says, “Life... Life is... is like... a river.” He shuts his eyes, dropping his head back onto the pillow.
The wisest student turns to the student behind him and says, “The Rabbi says life is like a river!” That student turns to the one behind him and repeats this wisdom, and so on and so forth, out of the room, down the hall, down the stairs, and outside to the end of the line, until the second-simplest student turns to the simplest and says “The Rabbi says life is like a river!”
The simplest student, realizing he has no one to tell, contemplates it silently. After a moment, he taps the student ahead of him on the shoulder and says “Excuse me, but... why is life like a river?”
This message gets passed up to the front of the line, until the second-wisest whispers in the wisest student’s ear: “Moishe wants to know why life is like a river.” The wisest student leans over the Rabbi and again, soft and reverently, he said, “Great Rabbi, your students have brought forth a question! Please, O wise one, tell us: why is life like a river?”
The old rabbi raises his head again, slowly opens his eyes, draws another rattling breath, and says... “Okay, so it’s not like a river....”
Your early experiences, books you’ve read - all come out in your writing showing a depth of thinking that is refreshing in its rarity in today’s so-called journalists. They feel more like secretaries taking dictation than original thinkers.
Pull the trigger, write the book. I will happily buy it. :-)
This resonated with me. I lived in communist Yugoslavia during the 1980s, married to a Yuslavian "rock" star. I traveled the country with him for his concerts and lived between London and a village near Lake Bled. Got into some dangerous situations myself, which I've also written about. Yugoslavia was relatively tame as far as communism goes compared to the other Eastern European countries but it was eye-opening none-the-less. Wild and crazy days.
Matt, if you write it
we will come.
I worked as a low ranking investment banker on an assignment in Moscow for a couple of months ca 1994. I was a total outsider staying in extremely expensive hotels, knowing no locals and speaking not a word of Russian. And, despite a lifetime of being an expat all over the world, that Russian experience was by far the weirdest in my life. I would love to read your stories, since unlike me you experienced the real Russia and you're a much better writer than I am.
Maybe Matt, the fiction writer in you was still developing, waiting for the next adventure during a period of real need? As Muriel Rukeyser reminds us, the universe is made of stories, not atoms. Something Alexei might have been whispering to you on the your adventures as well.
Thank you for sharing this.
There's a serious book here. I remember well sitting in the restaurant as you told some of the stories of your experiences in Russia.
Dude, just publish the manuscript via subscription like John McWhorter is doing. Your readers will eat that shit up. Don’t even clean it up, I like it gonzo.
These are good times to write a book about the demise of the USSR. Russian Americans say that some aspects of today's U.S. remind them of their experiences in the 80s and 90s in that region.
Matt, you are the next https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryszard_Kapu%C5%9Bci%C5%84ski and don't know it. Do me a favor and read his book "Imperium" about the downfall of the U.S.S.R. . . . then get-a-move-on and write your damned book. No excuses. You only have a limited time on this earth. Don't deny humanity of your talent.
thank you Matt! fascinating!
Do the book, man, the book !
You Kept humor alive in those very dark times in Russia for English language readers. Russians did not need help with humor but for us expats, even when your humor was at our expense, especially when it was , was the greatest relief. You spared no one and it was also a great act of courage. For many an important era ended when you closed Exile and left Moscow.
Thanks, Matt. I’d love to read more about your Russia experiences.Your descriptions and turn of phrase are delightful.
I love your life story - what little I've heard of it so far! - and would pay to read your bio. Please be sure to include pictures. ;-)