Finally, the monument to Lenin in my native city of Kharkiv has been toppled. This was the biggest Lenin statue in Ukraine.

And it only took 23 years.

Russians, in the meanwhile, can’t let the corpse of poor Lenin escape from the necrophiliac exercises they have been subjecting it to for 90 years. Contrary to Lenin’s wishes, he hasn’t been buried next to his mother. The guy hasn’t been buried anywhere because the Russians just can’t let him go. Whenever anybody mentions the need to just bury poor Lenin already, half of Russia goes batshit crazy protesting against the hugely shocking idea that torturing the corpses of people who have been dead for almost a century might be a weird collective pastime.

Also from Romain Gary: the only things that turn into monstrosities with age are. . .

Hint: it’s a very profound statement.

Is the same as that of tomato juice. If one happens to forgive one’s abuser(s) in the course of therapy, that’s fine. If not, that’s also fine.

However, trying to make oneself forgive is extremely damaging. Mandatory forgiveness reinforces original trauma. Any therapist who promotes the idea that “you have to forgive in order to move on” is definitely a quack and possibly a religious fanatic.