Don't Give Up
I hope you have a good weekend—I’m taking the day off to spend time with family. While not particularly related to the drawing above, I wanted to leave you with this quote from murdered Russian dissident, Alexei Navalny.
In his 2022 documentary about Alexei Navalny, director Daniel Roher asked Navalny what message he would leave for the Russian people if he were killed. “Listen,” Navalny answered. “I’ve got something very obvious to tell you. You’re not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong. We need to utilize this power to not give up, to remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes. We don’t realize how strong we actually are.”
Thank you to Heather Cox Richardson for sharing this quote in her newsletter today.
Nice drawing, I especially love how the bird is willing to bravely stand on the pointy tip while maintaining its commitment to its values.
Very sad about Navalny. I highly recommend the Academy Award winning documentary that was made about him. It begins with a long, brave, soliloquy of Navalny talking to the camera and describing how he would like his story to be told. In his razor sharp wit and dark Russian humor he says: “Don’t make it boring. Make it a thriller.”
The film gives you an astoundingly up close view of his life during exceptional and ordinary moments, especially with his wife and family. And his courage is mind boggling. At a screening I asked the director of the film, “what was it like to be with someone who was so brave,” and the Director said, “Alexei says he’s not brave, he says there a far more brave people all over Russia, those who stand up to Putin and his system every day, and they are not famous people, and they pay a high price, and they don’t stop.”
Enjoy your time. Sad about Navalny....he was a true martyr to freedom. May he rest in peace.