In the context of the war in Ukraine, Western allies are faced with a dilemma that goes far beyond military strategy. Watching the brutality of the war, but not intervening fully for fear of escalating the conflict with Russia, is becoming a profound moral and political test for Western countries. Zoya Zvynyatskivska, a cultural scientist and researcher of social phenomena, argues that this is not only a military problem, but also a psychological phenomenon that has already poisoned the West from within.
Regarding the prohibition of firing American weapons deep into Russia, I remembered one story. When my child was little, there was bullying in her class. It started somewhere in the 4th grade and the school turned a blind eye to it. No, no, my child was not touched in any way, the whole group was bullying one boy. But my child saw it - and it poisoned her, as well as, in fact, the rest of the class. I tried to fight, spoke at parent-teacher meetings and went to the principal - and in the end I transferred my child to another school, although no one ever looked at her askance. Because the contemplation of violence eats you up from the inside, if you can't, you don't have the strength to stop it. That is why bullying is considered a problem of the entire class and all the children who belong to this group are considered victims, even if only one boy has bloody soup flowing from his nose.
What am I getting at? Now, today, everyone understands what is happening — and I want to say, it is not the first time it is happening. When after World War II, the USSR, as the victor, cut off half of Europe and installed cannibalistic regimes there — Europe tried its best not to look at it. When in 1961, 16 years after the end of the war, the Soviets suddenly began to build the Berlin Wall directly over the bodies of living people — Europe closed its eyes. When Soviet tanks were in Prague and Budapest — Europe remained silent.
It may not be possible to prove this, but this poisoning by the impotent contemplation of violence turned Europe away from the social and towards the development of the individual. You can’t do anything about the state — neither your own nor someone else’s — but you can develop your personality, become a better version of yourself, grow your inner garden. Gradually, the eastern bear grew old and stopped growling, and instead, theories of personal development and conflict-free dialogue like nonviolent communication flourished. Societies became weak, lost faith in collective action, drowned in depression and self-examination. And then we all entered a new circle.
It's just that now the West, and above all the US, are allowing Russia to commit violence — as they have been allowing it for 20 years, starting with the Chechen wars and Georgia. I don't know when and how this particular war, ours, will end, but I know for sure that it will not pass, it will no longer pass with impunity for the West, for its society.
Contemplating violence that you don't want, that you can't prevent, poisons you from within. It poisons and consumes.
I don't think that realizing this will help us in any way. I'm not mad at them. I just want to say that nothing goes unpunished — even if it seems like you haven't been touched and you've cleverly slipped through at someone else's expense. Even if you really slip through — the poison is already sitting inside you.
