All great words that mean so much and point to human transcendence are subject to manipulation by the rulers responsible for controlling Humanity’s destiny. But this could not be accomplished without relying on the cooperation of those who resided in the secret palaces at the height of power, who, depending on the degree of corruption they agreed to inflict, had taken a position on the rungs of their pyramidal ladder. Of course, we need to talk about the word “peace”, which is the most used word all over the world today. And also, in any case, the most subject to scrutiny, along with the failing grades.
The President of Ukraine continues to demand more and more weapons from NATO and a complete financial blockade of Russia, knowing that Putin will increase his proportionate retaliation against the rest of Europe and create a greater energy and economic crisis in many. European countries as well as continue to increase the drama of their migration flows. All this is accompanied by the risk of global involvement in a war with dire consequences should the war go beyond the borders of Ukraine and Russia.
Despite my advanced age, I still marvel at the degree of naivety, indifference, and passivity displayed by a large section of the population that simply swallows the whole barrage of information, without stopping to the politicians who push us as a state. Increase the budget, weapons (with the approval of the opposition and the government) and at the same time – as always, least favored – they warn us of more trouble we will face. anything that comes our way.
Once again we will repeat the mistakes of the past, we will stick to the same stone and regret it later. The peace that Biden, Putin or Zelensky would have painted us as the only possible peace would be to surrender to Russia’s demands to sign the losing side of the war, depending on the previous negotiation which was canceled after the failure of some absolutely vague negotiations, and the selective veto in the UN, in this case Russia to be verified repeatedly to prevent any decision.
Next will come the restructuring missions carried out by multinational corporations, the change of leaders, and the unlikely, though unlikely, prosecution of crimes committed by some of those defeated in the conflict. As for the price to be paid for citizenship of that peace, of course, it will be very heavy. Look at Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Mali, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan…
Then there is a clean slate celebrating hypocritical tributes playing John Lennon’s songs, flower crowns at memorials to fallen heroes, commemoration of leaders of other times, etc.
What if examples of activist pacifism given by Gandhi, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela were applied on this occasion? Does anyone imagine that Volodymyr Zelensky and other members of the government were sitting on the Kyiv square and declaring an indefinite hunger strike after the negotiations with Russia were interrupted? And to a population that was previously instructed not to turn off all the lights in the country together for one hour a day, not to go out loudly on the balconies? Or avoid buying any Russian product? Or hold large rallies in the streets against any punctual extremism? Could Putin shoot at an unarmed population? Would not the rest of the world show solidarity and support for the courage of the Ukrainian people? Would governments be indifferent to such a display of heroism? Will they be able, then, to resist the pressures of those who instigate permanent armed conflict as a permanent target of their constituents’ gaze?
One of the youth slogans in Paris in May 68 was: “Be realistic; ask for the impossible”. Should we take it again, this time without overreacting? It wouldn’t be bad to portray another Gandhi: “There is no path to peace; Peace is the way”. Or as Antonio Machado wrote: “Walker, there is no way; the way is made by walking”. Imagine.