Patriot: A Memoir

What drives a person to sacrifice themselves, their family, and their friends for a conviction? Is it truly a selfless act? The memoir is very interesting — a fascinating read. Navalny talks about his childhood, his upbringing, his rejection of the political system, how he exposed corruption and the selfishness of government officials, why in his view Russia never progressed and is still behind other European countries, why he feels people need to stand up and claim what belongs to them, how he went about fighting it, why he decided to go back even after the Novichok attack, and, most interestingly, how he remained sane in solitary confinement. It is a book of hope and motivation. It is inspirational and shows you how you can be the change you want to see. But I still don’t understand why someone would do this. Mixed feelings — I admire him for his conviction, feel sad about the way he is treated, and yet I can’t ignore the fact that it was his choice. I cannot get my head around why a person would fight for something they cannot control.

What makes people like Navalny, Mandela, Gandhi, and others do what they did? I am sure there are many others who didn’t get as famous — why do they fight for common well-being, for a country, for borders, and for a constitution?

What is the psychology behind this? It has left me with a lot of questions. Even though I believe that one should stand up against what is wrong and that it is important not to accept and ignore, I wonder what it really takes to get someone to act. How can some do it readily, while for many it takes far more convincing? Is there a switch?

As for the memoir — definitely recommend reading it.

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