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With clock striking mildly in the background, Mr. Cardin appeared exactly on time. He was bold and friendly, entertaining his retinue of some 6 people, and he was wearing an impeccable dark blue suit and black shoes of the most sublime leather. Once he found out that we never intended to make a TV material he seemed relieved, bending his shoulders slightly and getting more comfortable in his armchair. Then he picked up an issue of DE I and having looked through it rather carefully uttered his “OK”.
DÅ I: Are you a man of passion?
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I have been very passionate for the whole of my life. Your magazine title stands for “No Illusions”, and I live all my life without illusions. Life gives me such a drive of new emotions I want to live by. However, sometimes illusions can save as much as a life.
DÅ I: Your own illusions or someone else’s?
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When you have your own, why not? But there are others’ illusions that are sometimes very attractive and appealing. But let us not waste our time on illusions, they are but a bypass. You may disagree with me but life should be magnifique and you just should be making it this way!
DÅ I: What if this does not depend on me alone?
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This is yet one more of your illusions. Most things, if not all of them, fully depend on you. Every night I feel grateful to those who let me live through a wonderful day. Then I thank myself in particular for the fact I squeezed all the wonderful things there were, out of the day that’s passed. Try doing the same. Next time we meet, tell me about your results.
I just keep one general illusion for myself, and this is my faith in cleanness and uniqueness of our real world. This illusion makes me able to do a lot of things I could well do without. You see, my life came to the point when I do not need to do crazy things anymore. Palais Bulles, The Bubble Palace was one of them.
DÅ I: Why do you keep moving forward?
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To live! «To be or not to be» is my main question for today.
© DE I / DESILLUSIONIST ¹-1. «PETER AKSENOV: COMPASSION OUT OF FASHION»
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