So I was reading about famous Russian monuments (like the huge "Motherland Calls!" statue) and somehow ended up on this website of a company that makes tombstones and grave monuments: https://www.gravestone.ru/about/ (It's in Russian, but you can use Google Translate).

It got me thinking about the strange contrast:

• Grand monuments are built by the state for heroes, leaders, and big historical events. Millions see them. They are made to make you feel small and remember Power or Victory.

• Small, personal monuments are made by families for loved ones. Only a few visit them. They are made to remember a person, a laugh, a life.

But in the end, they are both just stone and carving. The same craftsmen and techniques might even be used for both.

Discussion point: What do you think is the real difference? Is it just about scale and who orders it? Or is the purpose of memory (collective vs. personal) what truly separates a "monument" from a "tombstone"?