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Nearly everybody in the ushas met – or is aware of of – not less than one so-called “Russian-American.” Because the fall of the Soviet Union, scores of those hyphenated residents have appeared in each massive cities and small cities. What’s lots much less recognized is the phenomenon of the “American-Russian.”
This time period refers to a U.S. citizen who has willingly left his or her nation to stay long-term in Russia. That time period applies to the hybrid creature writing this text.
Due to circumstances referred to as “life,” I selected to stay and work in Moscow for 25 years and simply not too long ago returned dwelling to my nation of origin. I’m consultant of a brand new breed for certain; one that can develop in quantity as time goes on.
Disillusioned with their lives in America or just interested by life in Russia, this new breed might play a helpful function in bridging the hole between Russia and America throughout these extremely contentious and harmful occasions, if the events concerned determine to make the most of the insights obtained by these hybrid creatures. That is a giant “if” in fact.
Completely socialized in America after which re-socialized in Russia, this hybrid citizen has assimilated opposing values that do often overlap and intersect, however which however come from completely different states of consciousness. Dwelling long-term in Russia has given us the power to perceive how and why People and Russians see issues otherwise. We’re capable of entertain two opposing ideas on the similar time with out going insane… I feel.
To quote a hybrid “Canadian-American” we “take a look at life from either side now.” It’s each a reward and a punishment — a beautiful blessing and a horrible curse.
It’s a reward and blessing as a result of our understanding of human habits has been enhanced by perceiving actuality in stereo. In our consciousness, you may say “the twain have met.”
It’s each a punishment and a curse as a result of we all know Russians and People won’t ever see eye-to-eye. To borrow terminology from the famend anthropologist Ruth Benedict, Russians are “Dionysian” for probably the most half and People are primarily “Apollonian.”
We all know that the American spirit and Russian soul won’t ever co-exist simply as a result of we ourselves live a bi-cultural schizoid life crammed with inner-contradictions and epistemological rigidity.
I’m certain Russian-People share this situation as properly.
Maybe this dialectic of consciousness will produce a synthesis that heralds the next state of consciousness. Time will inform. However we could also be operating out of that treasured commodity as each the Russian and American governments interact in a geopolitical cat-and-mouse sport that threatens the survival of each the cat and the mouse.
This publish first appeared on Russia Insider
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