Thread by Aleksandar Djokic (ΠΠ»Π΅ΠΊΡΠ°Π½Π΄Π°Ρ ΠΠΆΠΎΠΊΠΈΡ)
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- Nov 2, 2022
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How I lost a friend or a tale of how I started to hate this war. An anecdotal, introspective π§΅
There are two aspects to the current war (which is so important that I don't need to explain what actual war I'm writing about) - the moral and the rational one.
The moral one implies - imperialism is wrong, we shouldn't try to dominate other nations by believing our own to be superior (in any way), we shouldn't live in romanticized historical myths, interpretations of which originated mostly in the 19th century.
The rational aspect implies - Russia is dependent on trade and technology from the West, younger urban generations of Russians are immersed in Western pop culture, Ukrainians don't want to be conquered, the USA/NATO will aid Ukraine.
The second aspect is easier to grasp than the first, because all that's needed is knowledge and logical thinking. The moral one demands that we search deeper into our own selves, to recognize our own mistakes, to rearrange our personal identity, worldview (if necessary).
I keep many ties with my Russian friends (many have escaped π·πΊsince). All of those who I keep ties with adhere to the rational concept, almost all grasp the moral one as well. Those Russians that I've lost contact with, are a part of the state machinery, we ignore each other.
But the friend I did lose (I've lost more, but they were not as close) are from the Balkans. My friend of many years wrote to me on February 24th, from Belgrade. He had nothing invested in π·πΊ, no job there, no education, personal ties, he only had ideology, a myth of his own.
He asked me if I was against the war, I of course said that I was and give him the rational aspect of it all (with ideology comes emotion, and emotion does not suffer alternative forms of morality). I told him that the war is lost in advance even if it's won on the battlefield.
The Ukrainian population wouldn't have it, Russia will be deadlocked in negative and low GDP growth, birth rates will plummet (the war will make the Russian nation smaller and weaker), societal growth would cease to be, a totalitarian system of rule would be ushered in.
The war will defeat Russia and at the end will bring either the destruction of the state itself or the total liberalization of it. All of the traditional values Putin was ranting about will be toxic in Russian society of the future. The Orthodox Church will lose any credibility.
I still have this conversation archived on Facebook Messenger. He responded that none of it mattered, that Russia was protecting Russians in Ukraine, that Ukraine was taken from Russia, that Ukrainians have been brainwashed by Western propaganda and, finally, called me a traitor.
He ended the conversation, not I. It is not my manner to block people who whish to talk to me, I just give them my point of view. I despise blocking in general, I've blocked only a couple of people here, and that's only because they wouldn't let me be for three days straight.
This conversation was important, not only because I've lost my friend, but because that's when my soul-searching started. I looked back at my own interpretations of various events and trends. Everything suddenly became clear
The war had opened my eyes completely, it changed me.
The war had opened my eyes completely, it changed me.
Finally, I understood that the rational aspect was not enough, that the war was a product not only of Putin's choice, but of the mass denial of the moral aspect, mainly the imperialism. It wasn't just that the war brought more costs than benefits, our worldview had caused it.
In order for Russia to change, for the Balkans to change, we must change from within, not just get to the level of knowledge and logical deduction that shows us that war is suicidal (even this level escapes the masses). Defeat for Putin will come, just like it came for Milosevic.
But defeat isn't enough, defeat teaches us a practical lesson if we only stick to the rational aspect of war. Defeat must be a cathartic experience, at least for the intellectual class, it must transform, not simply reform, us. Defeat can teach love and respect towards others.
Defeat can be an instrument of restructuring the political system, but it should also rearrange our inner workings, our soul, if you will. I know that war is a terrifying experience for those caught in the eye of the storm. I don't want to preach, while there is real suffering.
I just wanted to share with you how the thought process of a person caught on the other side of the war can look like. It is just to demonstrate, compassion is best left for those who truly suffer - the Ukrainians. For us, on the other side, it's enough to be heard.
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