Murakami and the Invasion of Ukraine - Special Radio Program

I thought this article was intriguing to read and shed light upon a side of Murakami that enriches the depths of the kind of person he is. He keeps up-to-date with the current issues of the world and shares his opinions about them on his radio program. Recently, he did one on the invasion of Ukraine and sided with support for those in Ukraine. The program was centered around a call for peace and for the war to be put to an end. It was titled "Music To Put An End To The War". He featured 11 musical pieces each from his own personal collection of music. Each one had a unique meaning for why he chose to play that particular piece and he explained the lyrics and context after playing them. He wanted to create a focus upon the importance of human life, love, and dignity.

There were some things I felt were weirdly stated. Such as this quote he recited from Martin Luther King Jr. who said, "Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal." I couldn't really understand what he meant by this quote and perhaps others may be able to give a better idea about it, but it seems very weird to hear this being said. Could be my lack of knowledge about history as well, but I believe killing thousands of innocent people, forcing them into camps, experimenting on them, and doing much, much worse things could hardly be seen as being legal, but maybe the catch to that is the fact of it being "in Germany". 

The rest of what he said in the article, I can understand where he is coming from. He pushes forth the mentality of individualism and having the courage to question leadership instead of following blindly. To have the dignity to look at a law or order and determine whether it is a good or logical thing to obey. Overall, I wish I had been able to catch this radio program and experience it first-hand. The article covers it well in the terms of being a summary, but not really an in-depth or detailed overview of the whole program that took place.

Author Murakami voices sorrow over loss of young lives in Ukraine war

~ Jonathon Little