In my Impromptus today, I lead with the issue of Tibet — that captive nation, with a wide diaspora. March 10 is “Tibetan Uprising Day.” There was a demonstration on Monday in New York, near the Chinese consulate. An interesting event. In this column, I also discuss the nature of liberal democracy (no less). Our country’s new belligerence toward Canada (one of the weirdest realities of our generally weird age). And so on.
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Earlier this week, I had lunch with a reader of ours. We were talking about Ukraine and the atrocities that have been inflicted on Ukrainians. For three years, Russian forces have targeted schools, hospitals, grocery markets, etc. This is wanton murder.
Our reader told me about his mother, who was a schoolgirl in England. (She later had an American life.) One day, the students were at recess. When recess ended, our reader’s mother and a friend of hers had not had a turn at the swing. So, they hid in the bushes. Soon, a teacher came out looking for them.
Then the bomb struck. The Germans’ bomb killed everyone in the school. The only survivors that day were the two friends and the teacher who had come out looking for them.
When our reader was growing up, there was a strong conscience in the home concerning freedom and tyranny. The family sponsored and hosted many refugees from Southeast Asia: Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Thais. “More than once,” our reader told me, “I had to show a group of boys and men how to use our bathroom.” His mother helped other refugees whom the family did not directly sponsor. By many, she was known as “Mom.”
“And those people, particularly the children,” said our reader, “went on to become successful Americans. No surprise.”
I learned about his father, too. This story is not as dramatic, but I like it, very much. His dad worked for a major company. He loved his job and wanted to do it for as long as possible. One day, the company told him that he had to lay off a member of his group. The other men were younger. He could not bear to do it. So he laid off himself.
Noble, I think. Positively noble.
I have a lot of mail, but maybe that is enough to share, for one day, one post. Thanks to all.