Imagine the suffering Alexei Navalny went through because he dared to challenge Putin’s corruption. He didn’t have to return to Russia where he knew the regime would kill him, but he did because he had the courage of his convictions. REM’s song, quoted in the headline, is a lifeline to anyone who suffers but some suffer more than others. And as a novelist, I’ve always tried to feel the pain of the protagonists and characters in my novels, but I barely qualify.
When I was a teacher my advice to the boys was always to be kind even when people seem off, because you never know what dragons other people are fighting. I am sometimes slightly embarrassed at what I put poor old Lucius Sestius through but his experience was and is no different to that of many people. Having a peaceful happy life is nice idea and happens at times to many of us - but the dragons need to be held off.
Ps Lynda that portrait of Epona is fantastic!
When I was a teacher my advice to the boys was always to be kind even when people seem off, because you never know what dragons other people are fighting. I am sometimes slightly embarrassed at what I put poor old Lucius Sestius through but his experience was and is no different to that of many people. Having a peaceful happy life is nice idea and happens at times to many of us - but the dragons need to be held off.
Thank you Alistair, such a sad day for everyone. A bright flame of hope over adversity and tyranny extinguished.
Hope in all your stories is the driver to overcome the suffering of people, true today as through the centuries.