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.'.:::::::`. Petros Katiforis (Πέτρος Κατηφόρης)
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; | C ..\ Feel free to contact me! <pkatif@mail.com>
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\ | / \ This post was published on the 5th of September, 2023
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I just finished reading one of Aitmatov's most iconic novels, "The Day Lasts More Than A Hundred Years" which inspired me to write down this article. The book is narrated in a universe where the Cold War has not yet ended: The Soviet Union and the United States are still taking part in a continuous battle for superiority that is only temporarily put on hold due to the discovery of extraterrestrial life! The author is intentionally utilizing a variety of symbols, all centered around the clash between traditional and modern society.
The two competing superpowers, bewildered by the discovery of aliens equipped with technology centuries ahead of that of their home civilization, refuse to get in contact with them and they instead adopt a defensive plan. They cut ties with their astronauts and hide all evidence from the public. In short, they refuse the new of fear of jeopardizing their current status in spite of that being counter-productive for society.
While that is being carried out in the background, the author recounts the life of a local Kyrgyz community on a remote village. As part of the Soviet Union, the dwellers are forced to transform into Soviet people and abandon their tradition and past identity. They are viewed as primitives, naive people without a desire to progress, marked by a refusal to accept contemporary technology such as radio, cars and rockets. They instead (at least most of them) lead simple lives riding camels, reciting old legends and maintaining their historical language. The contrast between the official Russian state and the traditional Kyrgyz way of life is best depicted towards the end of the novel, when Yedigei (the main character) accompanied by his legendary camel Karanar and his dog are all frightened by the sight of gigantic rockets being launched into space as instructed by the "Operation Hoop" program which in turn is a blatant conservative act to prevent peaceful intergalactic contact!
Conservatism is relative both to time and space.
I will talk from a Greek point of view. Being born and raised in Athens, I had little if any contact with my country's tradition. Everything here is commercialized and industrial following primarily the Western standards: How does life differ from a traditional Greek village? Well quite significantly. A notable portion of people here, just like Yedigei's younger relatives, exude an offensive pride and a know-it-all altitude against rural Greeks, even if that is nothing more than an illusion. It seems to me that people born in remote, intact and traditional villages are drenched with a sort of wisdom originating all the way back from their relatives' long past and history. They are educated with a set of values that due to their exceptionally natural source, are therefore pure and sagacious. These values have long passed the test of time and are undoubtfully superior to what is currently being propagandized to children from our country's urban educational facilities.
I'm not trying to idealize rural people. All I'm saying is that we should aim for a compromise between the old and the emerging. If we stay too close to the past, we won't be gratified any progress and our lives will stay miserable. Yet when we progress too fast, we are endangering ourselves to extinction and irrevocable annihilation. Old isn't necessarily evil: Tradition is there to help us survive, form concrete ideals and boost our potential. The goal of today's imperialists is to unify all individually powerful and charming societies into a single, dull, weak and consumeristic amalgamation.
When capitalism spares the life of a tradition, it turns it into a lucrative industry. We shouldn't let commercialization ridicule and defile all our ancestor's legacy into yet another product...