Sergei Kourdakov, a former KGB agent and Soviet naval intelligence officer, defected from the USSR at the age of twenty. A year later we met at my Federal Government office in Washington DC. We were watched and followed. “Even you could be spy,” Sergei whispered. My book, A Rose for Sergei, is the true story of our time together.

Monday, February 23, 2015

It's Never All About You


I don’t usually watch reality TV shows but I will admit to watching The Bachelor.  In one of the recent episodes I was taken aback by what one woman had to say about the tragedy of losing her husband and the excitement of being on TV.  And then, in the next breath, she smiled and said, “Isn’t my story amazing?”  She was referring to starring on the TV show and hopefully finding a new love.  I do understand the need to move on.  But mixing the two words together, “tragedy and amazing,” did not sit well with me at all.  It made me cringe.  Maybe it was a poor editing choice by the producers of the show, or perhaps it was intentional, what the producers were aiming for.  Whatever the reason, I was disheartened that the story line was at the deceased husband’s expense.

As I listened to the young woman’s story, I thought about Sergei Kourdakov.  How could I not?  I can’t think of anything more tragic than what happened to Sergei.  He lost both parents when he was a young child.  He was raised in Soviet orphanages and molded to fit into a system he did not completely grasp at the time.  When Sergei was so very close to finding his dream in the United States, it was all taken away in an instant.

If I were to use the same words from that TV show, this is what I would say, “Sergei Kourdakov was an amazing young man.  He accomplished more in his few short years than many others would accomplish in their lifetime.  It was a tragedy that he died so young.”

Reality TV or not . . . it’s never all about you.


No comments:

Post a Comment