One of my favorite books is Bryce Courtenay's The Power of One. In the book there is a big, strong, bearded, Georgian, who it was implied was some sort of exile from the USSR. He would weep into his beard while listening to music from his country. While I am a big fan of the boys don't cry theory, I believe it is manly to be moved to tears by beauty or grandeur. Few things have the terrible beauty of men marching off to a just war. Few things are as majestic as men's determination to die for what they love.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has created a romance that I think is reminiscent of the Spanish Civil War and World War 2. The men volunteering to fight for the underdog, Ukraine, are like those who either joined the Republicans in Spain or joined Britain because their countries were neutral or defeated. This video of men marching through the snow to the front captures that romance. The piece playing is Hans Zimmer's "Time" from the film Inception.

It is not clear which side the men are fighting for. However, the first time I saw the video, it had pro-Ukraine comments all over it. Watching it, I got a bit teary and managed to force some tears out, like the Georgian mentioned above. While agreeing that war is sweet to one who has not experienced it, I fantasized about going to join even though I think Ukraine should have related with Russia the way Finland did during the cold war and less like how Poland behaved during the interwar period.

Not knowing much about classical music other than it usually has no singing, I listen to soundtracks and imagine I am cultured. The full track is here.

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