Gleb’s father, Fyodor, found out that he had quit music school. With some delay, a few months later, but he did. And got upset. It was a surprise for everyone who remembered how reserved he’d been about his son’s decision to study music. For the first time in years Fyodor asked his ex-wife, Irina, if they could meet. Hearing that Gleb had abandoned music in view of the death that awaits each of us, Fyodor became agitated and said that this was the act of a genuine musician. That the distinguishing trait of a musician was not the dexterity of his fingers but the constant thought of death, which should instill us with optimism, not horror.

Why learn to play music if we’re all going to die?