A destiny wasted, a legacy ruined
How Putin murdered Russia
This isn’t going to be a historical essay, or even a political one. No, this is about humanity and what we can learn from the tragic failings of this man.
As the leader of Russia, he had the means and resources to make the world a better place, by a significant degree. His long term in the office would have afforded him ample time to see things through that wouldn’t have been possible in other countries. What he leaves behind, instead, is destruction, death, corruption and ignorance.
We know that power corrupts, we’ve seen in countless times, since early kingdoms to modern day nations. Inside a non-democratic political system marred by a complete lack of accountability, the words of Lord Acton, “absolute power corrupts absolutely” ring even truer.
It could be argued that, had he been less corrupt or keen on supporting the interests of unlawful characters, his reign would have been shorter, or his prerogatives diminished.
We see that often, doing the right thing leads to an outcome unwanted. I’m thinking of Mikhail Gorbachev, who, despite being one of the better leaders of his country, saw the end of the Soviet Union. I say one of the better leaders because he ended the Cold War, increased personal freedoms of the citizens and followed an open, cooperation-based foreign policy. Still, he is strangely unpopular within Russia. How can that be? How can a leader that brings positive change be seen as a failure and derided, while a selfish, egotistical thug be supported and praised?
The answer lies, of course, in ignorance. This is the calamity of the Russian people and the one of the most important reasons why democracy is superior to totalitarianism. Freedom of information, freedom of speech, of education and beliefs — these are the pillars on which humans grow and evolve and, with them, their societies.
You can’t, without education, break the vicious cycle of propaganda, separatism and hatred. Even more, the poor and the downtrodden are those that suffer the most in this type of system. These are the children that go to war. These are the parents who toil from day to day for a crust of bread and are so spent that they can’t offer the little ones patience and love and nurture. Who can’t, themselves, muster the energy to question that which lies beyond the primal needs of survival.
To me, this is the first layer that should have been changed. Putin started some reforms in the beginning of his term that improved the economy and the living standards of the Russian people, but he soon changed focus to other things.
Why crush their spirits and their lives, why keep them in the dark, when you could have gifted them the world? How can you call this “love of country”?
Had he devoted his resources and energies to educate and lift out of poverty the great mass of Russian people, his country would have been much better off than it was after the forceful annexation of various neighboring territories.
Dealing with corruption would have been primordial. To prosper and flower, a society needs to encourage and support those qualities that bring improvement and good to its citizens. If you favor corruption, you favor selfishness, greed, indolence and deceit. None of these make a civilization better. They don’t make anything better, not even the corrupt person itself, which grows ever weaker and more enslaved to vice.
Putin could have rewarded efficiency and performance, across all state-run sectors. This would have brought incremental improvements that, over the years, would have created an apparatus that functioned and brought forth positive change. Instead, his first edict as a president was to ensure that more corruption goes unpunished. He appointed a capable person, a few years back, to lead his military, but soon got rid of him because he was “unpleasant” to certain people. The price is paid now by the thousands of soldiers that are cannon fodder in Ukraine. Like cancer, the malfeasance spread, infecting every facet of politics, industry and military, to the point of metastasis.
What good is the edifice that you’ve built, if you’ve got nothing and nobody to trust in anymore?
Today, his actions culminate with the senseless and heart-wrenching war waged in Ukraine. His life, subscribed to the flag of self-aggrandizement and greed, has led to a point where he seems incapable of doing anything decent and humane.
How else can you explain the massacre of Mariupol, following that of Aleppo and Grozny, coming from a leader whose own brother died of hunger during the siege of Leningrad, in World War II?
How can one make sense of the complete lack of decency to respect the international law with respect to humanitarian corridors and civilian lives? Or the systematic destruction of cultural and scientific objectives in the country? Or the complete contempt for the lives of those fighting on both sides of this war? Or the rabid pursuit of the destruction of a man who has proven to be all that he, himself, has failed to be.
The truth is, though, that he has a long track record of disregard for these basic human traits. More than once, during his tenure, was Russia on the wrong side of right in the various conflicts it took part in around the world.
Why be part of the United Nation or the European Court for Human Rights if you don’t respect their decisions? Why claim to be a part of Europe if you can’t even adhere to its laws and values? Money is a poor excuse for this.
To me, Europe and the West are synonyms with democracy and a constant strive towards increased tolerance, increased quality of live, increased awareness over environmental and societal issues. These are not things that I’ve seen Putin interested in.
I’m not claiming that the West is perfect, or even that it hasn’t broken these same laws I’ve noted above. But at least we try to learn and make amends. At least we work towards them, not against them.
Closing Russia off is the worst possible solution. Yes, it will reduce its dependency on trade and imports. But in an age of globalization and increased international cooperation, this move is bound to set the country back several decades. Not to mention a significant step behind from bridging the gap towards essential human freedoms.
You’re condemning your citizens to live in a cesspool of propaganda and poverty for as long as you’re still walking this Earth, maybe longer. And for what?
I hope that you save your “beloved” country, and your soul — if that’s even possible. I hope you find the strength to see your mistake, where it has led, and own it. I hope you realize that power can serve either Good or Bad and that there’s nothing Good in your war.
At this point, it’s hard to say what’s in store for him, politically. I would argue that stepping back from Ukraine and using the rest of his time to make amends would be the best thing for everyone. You know, like in A Christmas Carol.
