What to do with memory?

The discussion, which was initiated by the former director of the Czech Cultural Center in Moscow, Tomas Glanz, included Vaclav Havel, Sergey Kovalev, Lyudmila Alekseeva, Arseny Roginsky, Vladimir Lukin, Grigory Yavlinsky, Boris Dubin and others. In almost all speeches the idea was voiced that that from the Soviet era we inherited a difficult legacy: the Soviet government and a significant part of Soviet society were tough, consistent and principled enemies of intellectual, economic and political freedom for all citizens of the USSR. All this still hinders the building of civil society in Russia, and, as Vaclav Havel said, without civil society no democracy is possible. However, in Russia, the so-called conservative project has recently been gaining strength, which, for the sake of building a “happy identity,” in the words of Memorial Chairman Arseny Roginsky, proposes abandoning a responsible understanding of history and again puts the “greatness of the state” and infallibility at the forefront, or , in any case, the legality of all - past and present - actions of the authorities. New history textbooks are being prepared to be written outlining this view of the Soviet past. The historical memory of Russians turned out to be heterogeneous; moreover, a real struggle of “national memories” has recently unfolded. This is clearly seen in the attitude towards the events of the Second World War: let us remember the Estonian events, or, for example, the Poles have a completely different attitude than we do to the events of September 17, 1939 (the USSR invasion of Poland according to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the division of the country) - but and the Lithuanians (who received Vilnius back) interpret these events in a different way from the Poles and Russians. What to do in this situation: try to form some kind of single “average” memory or come to terms with the fact that everyone has their own memory and learn to take into account different points of view? Or take the position of Grigory Yavlinsky, who stated that the problem with memory can be solved only by ceasing to talk directly about history, and by focusing on fundamental values?