I believe that below the surface of everyday life, there is a nuanced unspoken battle going on in our world - in the minds of the people - a struggle for freedom.
Because of the clutter and interference of daily life, this almost primaeval feeling gets drowned out, but on occasion, we witness it surfacing, and at times we actually get to see the goodness of human-kind. It seems tortuously slow at times, but humanity, in spite of all the evil doings of individuals, continues to creep forward.
It is most awfully hard to see this, let alone believe it - in amongst the debris and carnage of war. The misery of seeing what we have built destroyed, the almost unbearable pain of lives lost, the physical pain of ghastly wounds and sights that can't be unseen - it is often and sadly beyond empathy.
And the people who instigate these atrocities at such a vast human cost step far beyond countenance or condemnation or any kind of human understanding.
So the suffering of many at the hands of a few is a constant human tragedy that continues to plague humanity. Yet we continue to strive for freedom even if we don't know why. Like the turtles that travel thousands of miles in order to return to their birthplace to lay their eggs - why? I guess it is in the DNA?
Perhaps being free is a part of being human - the itch we can't scratch, the urge of exploring the possibilities of freedom. What is it to be free? What is happiness? We humans have many imperfections, but we do recognise what happiness is, or most of us do. It is perhaps our quest in life - to fulfil this indescribable need for connectivity to something that is more than us and yet as we eventually discover and realise, that it is us - all of us as individuals and together. And despite the philosophical views of people like Professor John Mearsheimer - the realists, there is something that outweighs and is more than practicalities. We are humans and alive - not automatons. We refuse to be slaves to dictators, and the anger rises up inside us when bullying dictators try to bend us by force to their will.
So as we drive civilisation forward and sometimes watch in horror, as it seems to slide backwards - we have to hold steady our resolve with democracy. We don't have anything better than that, and we must keep faith with those who strive for freedom of thought and speech and the dream of an enduring happiness that freedom holds.
God Bless Ukraine and the Ukrainians.
Rick - Suffolk - UK - 16th March - 2022
ricknotesfromengland.com
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