Last night, I looked at the Moon and I thought to myself that we were all contemplating the same Moon, whether we were in Ukraine, Russia or China, from this one and the same Earth that we share. Last night I woke up to the sound of bombs… in my head. I imagined the horror experienced in Mariupol, or rather this horror imposed itself on me and stuck in my head.
How can one find appeasement in the face of the most cruel expression of absolute evil? How can we not lose our footing or lose faith in humanity in the face of the unrestrained display of icy cruelty calculated to terrorize and annihilate innocent human beings? How can we enjoy our quiet life when hell is at our doorstep, even if it may still seem far away? Where to find consolation in a world that is wavering and could be swept away by the tsunami of hatred?
Are we witnessing the bankruptcy of democracy, undermined from within by tribal selfishness, calculating or petty interests and the resulting disinformation, which accentuate inequalities and injustices instead of building a fairer, more healthy and more respectful of nature? Would democracy prove unable to oppose bloodthirsty dictators, regimes that oppress their citizens, states that do not care about the common good and global issues that should nevertheless bring us all together, issues such as the pandemic, climate change , hunger and growing inequalities?
You ask yourself all these questions or, on the contrary, you drive them out of your mind, because they are too heavy to bear, revealing to you your helplessness, our helplessness before the evil will of a single person armed to the teeth. You want to get out of this bad dream. You fantasize about the uprising of the Russian people against their leaders or even the surrender of Ukraine, provided this hell stops.
See how the leaders of the free world hesitate, prevaricate for fear of all-out war and lose the advantage of the initiative in the face of the Russian steamroller. Putin rightly capitalized on this hesitation, internal divisions and conflicting interests to launch his aggression.
The United States is more fractured and more misinformed than ever. Germany is doped with Russian oil and gas. Far-right parties are rising all over Europe, promoting a withdrawal into one’s identity, when more than ever it is necessary to have a global vision of our humanity. In Canada, the right is radicalized under the influence of the cynical methods of politicians in our neighbor to the south. Winning becomes the rule, regardless of the means, because the winners are applauded and courted. Isn’t it on this assurance that Putin’s reign is built?
This fratricidal war is a war of civilization, that of democracy against barbarism. The war in Ukraine sows the seeds for other wars to come. It leads the way for other dictatorships thirsty for control. How to find peace of soul without acting on it at our level?
This battle against barbarism also takes place at home, before our eyes, every day. Either we nurture these seeds, or we choose human brotherhood and fight for justice and equality for all. This means that, while guarding ourselves with lucidity against external threats, we must develop a spirit of solidarity and above all strengthen morality and ethical sense in all spheres of our society.
And we must begin by strengthening our democracy which, although imperfect, is the soil capable of bringing about a better world. We must keep the hope that our democracy contains the seeds of its own reform. You have to embody in your own life, even at the cost of certain sacrifices, the humanist values that we want to see flourish in society. Let us remember that the total absence of empathy and the instrumentalization of human beings are also the historical legacy of our societies.