Alexander Solzhenitsyn

" The defense of individual rights has reached such extremes as to make society as a whole defenseless against certain individuals. It is time, in the West, to defend not so much human rights as human obligations. " Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Harvard Address, 1978

I couldn't let the death of this great man pass without saying something.

Solzhenitsyn was a champion for freedom in the old Soviet Union and an outspoken opponent of communist oppression. He was, however, alert to the weaknesses of Western civilization as well. His 1978 Harvard address summed up his reflections on the weakness and decadence that had laid hold of the Western world. You can read the full text at the link below. You might feel that thirty years on his words have an even greater resonance:

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/solzhenitsyn/harvard1978.html

You can also find out more on the BBC website at the link below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7540038.stm

And Elim's Neil Hudson mentions his significance on his LICC blog, along with some insightful comments on Orange's I am who I am because of everyone advertising campaign:

http://www.licc.org.uk/culture/who-are-you