When the Grim Reaper comes calling, hopefully, many years hence, I think I’ll most be thankful for the opportunity to meet amazing and courageous people from all over the globe, like Dmitry Spirin, founder and frontman singer of Russian punk band Tarakany (Cockroaches).
I met Dima in 2010, during my one and likely only trip to Russia. I fell in love with his music, but now I’m in love with his lived ideals.
Dima and his wife Tania bravely stood up for Ukraine against Putin, and now Dima is a “foreign agent” of Russia, which, in my eyes, makes him a hero.
Living in exile, sacrificing career, friends, family and home to stand against tyranny and for freedom can’t be easy. But it must surely be rewarding in other ways.
So when the angel of death comes calling for you, what will you be thankful for? Will you be able to say, “When the time came for me to speak up for the voiceless and vulnerable, I did?”
Life’s too damn short to cower in fear. Courage is contagious. Thanks to my time today with Dima and Tania, I’m ready for the fight more than ever. Who’s with me? Let’s do this!
Rob, Dima and Tania in Buenos Aires