Franz is with a small group of humanitarians (along with an actress, a singer, and 400 cameramen and newsmen) attempting entry into Cambodia on a mission to help its people during the Vietnamese occupation.
Who was he to jeer at the exhibitionism of the people accompanying the courageous doctors to the border? What could they all do but put on a show? Had they any choice?
Franz was right. I can’t help thinking about the editor in Prague who organized the petition for the amnesty of political prisoners. He knew perfectly well that his petition would not help the prisoners. His true goal was not to free the prisoners; it was to show that people without fear still exist. That, too, was playacting. But he had no other possibility. His choice was not between playacting and action. His choice was between playacting and no action at all. (p. 268)
And so it continues. A cause will always arise, and always have those who, seizing the opportunity of someone else’s despair, insist upon showing the rest of the world that they are the good people as they rise up in vocal alarm, turn, and go back to their own happy homes.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
It’s been a thrill watching your progress through Kundera.
Well it’s quite a ride. There’s a good story, the character depth I seek, and it’s coming to a point where all that went before is coming together.