What makes us human? Simple kindness is a key element according to Grossman. It depends partly on how you define ‘human’ of course, whether to describe a particular species, or in the sense that is redolent with tenderness, vulnerability, feeling, sensitivity.
‘This kindness, this stupid kindness, is what is most truly human in a human being. It is what sets man apart, the highest achievement of his soul. No, it says, life is not evil!’
This is a quietly, persistently, recurrent theme in Grossman’s writing. Â See also: ‘The kernel of human kindness’ and ‘In praise of senseless kindness’.
Source: Life and Fate, Vasily Grossman; trans. Robert Chandler (New York: New York Review Books, 2006 (1985)), p. 409
Photo credit: Kendall Lane at unsplash.com
0 Comments