Vaclav Havel was born 69 years ago today. Wikipedia provides a nice summary of his history as a playwright, political dissident, patriot and, ultimately, the president of first Czechoslovakia and then the Czech Republic. Here is his official Web site.
The Velvet Revolution, which swept aside the Communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989, seemed like an improbable miracle, yet Havel didn't seem particularly surprised. He had always maintained that the old system was based on a lie and, therefore, could not endure. In 1969 — a year after the Prague Spring uprising had been suppressed and he had been banned from the theater — Havel wrote to dissident leader Alexander Dubcek, "Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible political effect can gradually and indirectly, over time, gain in political significance."
That's how he fought his revolution. And, "gradually and indirectly, over time," it worked.
Havel seems never to have given up hope. Hope is, in fact, an inescapable theme in his political writings. His essay, "The Politics of Hope" includes one of the wisest things I've ever read on the subject:
"Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out."
Havel left office in 2003 after two terms as president. That was important too, because of the George Washington rule. For democracy to take root and survive beyond the cradle, the first democratically elected president needs to step aside. George Washington knew this. So did Nelson Mandela and so did Vaclav Havel. The list of otherwise great men who undermined their prior achievements by not doing this is much longer. (Former "interim" President Hamid Karzai, call your office.)
P.S.: I've never seen a production of any of Havel's plays. If you hear of one within reach of the Philly area, please let me know.
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