HARMONICA CONCENTRATION
Vitaly Korotich was six years old when the Nazis invaded the Ukraine. Like many Russian children, he witnessed daily atrocities that would put most people in a mental institution. He saw his father dragged off to a concentration camp, his mother regularly abused, and his sister ravaged by the soldiers of the occupation. At the age of seven, he walked over two hundred miles, by himself, in search of safety. If any person has a reason to be sour on life, it is Vitaly Korotich. But he is not. Today, he is the editor of one of the most progressive newspapers in the Soviet Union and a markedly happy, joyful, future-oriented man. Recently, during an interview, he was queried about his upbeat attitude. “How can you be so positive with such a horrid past?” “I concentrate on the harmonica,” he responded. “It’s a choice I make and it makes all the difference.” Then he explained. “In war you learn about people, and…
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