Political change in Eastern Europe has its catchwords: democracy, pluralism, human rights. Taken at face value, they seem to convey convincingly that a steady and consistent transition has been set in motion, with a clear purpose in mind: the de-structuring of stagnated totalitarian regimes and their replacement with more viable and flexible systems. I do not intend to discuss political change at this macro level, not because it lacks importance or interest, but because the events in question so directly affect my immediate human world and me as an individual that attempting to step out of their stream and judge them impartially is impossible for me.