Hryts on Philosophical Conundrums

By Volodymyr Kish

A number of events over the past few weeks have caused me to give some thought to my own mortality and what I have done with my life during my brief sojourn on this earth.  I guess that is what comes from attending too many funerals.  There is nothing like the possibility of eminent demise to set one’s mind ruminating on whether one has made good use of one’s personal allotment of the space-time continuum.

As I am wont to do when faced with weighty philosophical conundrums, I turned to my trusty guru in all things spiritual and political, my cousin Hryts from the picayune village of Pidkamin in Western Ukraine.  Pidkamin is renowned in knowledgeable circles (namely the ones around Pidkamin) as being the producer of the finest garlic and horseradish in Ukraine.  However, it is also the home of the Pidkamin Philosophical School of thought, of which my cousin Hryts is self-appointed head.  Apparently, there is an as yet unexplained cosmological connection between pungent condiments and pungent original thinking.

“Hryts,” I began, “I am feeling strangely uneasy these days!”

“Why, my young little turnip” he exclaimed, “You obviously don’t have enough fibre in your diet. You must eat more kasha and cabbage.”

“No, no…” I shot back, “That’s not what I meant.  I have been to a lot of funerals lately and that has got me thinking about what I have done with my own life, about whether I have made good use of what God gave me.  Have I made the right choices?  Has my life made any difference in the grand scheme of things?”

“Hmmm…” I heard him mutter as he took a long puff on his liulka (pipe).  “And what do you think is the grand scheme of things?”

“Ahhh, errr…” I stammered, “I guess I am not really sure.”

“Aha,” he exclaimed forcefully, “There’s your problem!  As my good wife Yevdokia would say, you can’t make good borscht if you don’t have a recipe!  Let’s see if we can put your simple mind at ease.”

“There is but one question to be asked when assessing one’s life – has my life made any positive difference to the state of this earth and to the advancement of human civilization?  Since our simian ancestors decided to stand on two legs and started using their little grey cells instead of just limbs, teeth and testicles, Mankind has made great strides.  We have created art, culture, literature, science, agriculture, technology, social and political systems, religions and philosophies, and all kinds of other tools and ways of improving the quality of our lives and enabling each of us as human beings to achieve our full potential.  So the question you must ask yourself is – have I been just a consumer of these wonderful creations, or have I contributed in some way to improving or advancing some of these things to a higher and better level?”

His comments prompted some long moments of reflection, after which I slowly responded.

“I see what you are getting at, and I suppose I could think of a few small contributions towards progress.  I have helped raise three kids reasonably well, and I hope that amongst them or their descendants, there may be some future Einsteins, Ghandis, Shakespeares or Picassos.  And I suppose I have been blessed with a few modest talents that have left their mark on Ukrainian literary, cultural and organizational life here in Canada.  At work, during my career, I have helped develop and mentored many young people and that may have had a positive influence on their lives and careers.  But Hrytsiu, what about the average Joe or Ivan who may not have any particular creative or leadership skills or aptitudes?  What about all those people that are, as you say, mostly consumers?  Are they also looking upon their lives as inconsequential?”

Hrytsiu chuckled, before responding.

“Why not at all, my little radish!  As you implied, God has not blessed everyone evenly with creative or leadership potential.  However, everyone can play a significant role in moving civilization or culture forward.  Obviously, if you have the talent, you should use it to the fullest.  If not, you have two other valuable resources you can bring to bear for any noble cause – time and money.  Every worthwhile effort needs more than just creativity and talent; it needs a lot of hard basic work and support, and in our materialistic world, it also usually needs money.  As a good example, I am reminded of the time you described to me how your typical Ukrainian Halls function in Canada.  To me, the success of your organizations and their contributions to the Ukrainian community are as much owing to the women making varenyky in the Hall kitchens as to the leaders that you find behind the head tables.  Every individual has some combination of talent, time and money.  Each is necessary to create anything worthwhile, so everyone has the opportunity to be useful in making this a better place to live, now and in the future, by contributing time, talent, money or any combination of the three.  The key is to contribute something and not just consume.”

“Hrytsiu,” I remarked, “As usual, I am awed by your advice.”

“Oh – one more thing,” he added, “Don’t forget to eat more kasha and cabbage!”