Really, if Vlad Putin is to be compared to a Bond villain, and isn’t the new 007 a Black, ultra-woke, non-athletic/non-muscle ripped woman, what comparison can be made? I will be cheering for Vlad. How gutsy was it to say when asked if there was a growing trust and happiness between him and the US president after their meeting: “There is no happiness in life, only a mirage of it on the horizon, so cherish that.” The great quote is from Leo Tolstoy, someone Biden probably does not know of, let alone would have read, even pre-senility.
And, Tolstoy is right, there is very little happiness in life in a hedonistic sense, for life is a constant struggle and battle, as Russians of all people know, and Tolstoy nailed this in War and Peace. But, fighting on delivers a sense of satisfaction that is of far more value than hedonism, even if we lose. That is the meaning of life, religious or not.