Alcohol

According to Walking on Ice, by Frederick Andersen, 5% of Russians are alcoholics (p.45). While this figure may be less shocking than you expect, the following statistics are. "On a national average, each adult drinks the equivalent of over 38 liters of 100 proof vodka a year. Take out many women and a surprising number of men who drink a little, if at all, the rest must have it running in their veins. With populist politicians pushing for cheap or free vodka, it seems as if some politicians would like to keep the people forever in this debasing form of self-imposed slavery. To me it is more than a fraternal thing, but a way to pull the others down so all are equally dead." (Walking on Ice by Frederick Andersen, p.44)

While drinking in moderation is one thing, drinking in Russia by some individuals can be taken to excess. Walk around a Russian city and you will son tons of бабушки (Russian grandmothers), but where are the men? Life expectancy for males is shocking: 59.19 years. Compare it with an average life expectancy of 73.1 years for females and you realize that there is something wrong. Where are the дедушки (Russian grandfathers)? Wouldn't it be great if they were there to nurture and support their families, provide wisdom or to tell their grandchildren how lucky they are with the abundance they now have as compared with the Soviet era. Of course every country has its own problems. In order for Russia to continue to grow and prosper, it may finally need to deal with its alcoholism.

Life Expectancy Statistics Source: CIA World Factbook - Russia
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html

A Better Way of Life?

"Some Russians are amazed that Americans work so hard and so long. To them, we work hard to earn lots of money so we can spend it on entertainment, eating out, traveling, buying things. Money is king. The American weekend can be a hectic time. In Russia it is quite different."

"My friend and his family, for example, spend their weekends outside of Moscow in their dacha, their country cottage that they rent for sixty-five dollars a month (in 1995). They pump water at the community pump and bring it to the house in a bucket and go to the toilet in the outhouse forty-seven steps out the back. They raise tomatoes and lettuce, and it is so quiet, he says you can hear the vegetables grow. There is no phone for disturbing phone calls from friends and they are out of range for cell phones. There is electricity, but not enough, so time to fix shashlik over an open fire and enjoy it with friends and talk about important or frivolous things without the intrusion of a television. It is the way life should be, at least on weekends."

"Quality of life is not about things, it is about friends and the time to enjoy them."

I think that last line really sums up the Russian way of life. The emphasis of quality over quantity is something I have really grown to appreciate about the Russians and I have taken it to heart myself. We should appreciate those around us and make sure that it is known to them and not focus on the acquisition of possessions that is all to prevalent in our capitalist society.

Excerpts from Walking on Ice: An American Businessman in Russia by Frederick Andersen, p.50