Unimaginable

[poliphilo]

Twelve million people died during the Russian Civil War.

Then along came Stalin and he killed and he killed and he killed.

Thirty million Soviet citizens died during World War II

But Russia is still there and not notably underpopulated and some people lived through the whole bloody shambles and are still walking around today.

And we Brits go on about how brave we are because the Germans once dropped a few bombs on London.

Comments

[silent-mouse.livejournal.com]

My grandfather, for example, - he lived through all that (evacuated during the war, been to prison, been "rehabilitated" - had it all) and now he's a head of a huge clan, has five (or is it six?) grand-grandchildren and plans to teach them all Math when they reach appropriate age (about 3 or 4, from my own experience).
I only try to imagine all he has been through, and it makes me want to go and hide somewhere. But he never showed any regret or annoyance at his fate. And my grandmother was the most cheerful person I've ever met.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

What an amazing man.

It's extraordinary how resilient the human spirit can be.