I Was Wrong

I was wrong.  Frank Bruni reminded me, “We are only as good as the information we seek.”  

 

When I wrote Confronting Sophie’s Choice, I was reeling from the images being transmitted from the war in Ukraine.  I was not wrong to treat that travesty as a compelling call on the consciences of every human on the planet.  This week's images continue to portray crimes and tragedies greater than the ones that led me to write.  Now I think that I was wrong about the kind of retribution free societies should inflict on the invaders and their leader.

 

I encouraged considering a no-fly zone over Ukraine or some equivalent escalation as a way to protect children, the elderly and frail from indiscriminate devastation by the invading force.  I wanted the children who had serious health issues to get uninterrupted treatment.  I wanted old people or those with terminal illnesses who were living in assistance centers to be able to shelter in place and continue receiving the care they needed.  I wanted the attacks on civilians fleeing through the safe humanitarian corridors to stop.  If the Russian negotiators had a goal of providing easier targets for their artillery and infantry, I wanted them punished.  

 

Nuclear war was the unthinkable risk I considered.  A clear case of Sophie’s Choice.  Accept the losses and the travesties ordered by Putin or risk the annihilation of our planet in nuclear war.  Neither is an acceptable outcome.  But I was wrong to narrow the alternatives to those two possibilities.  I failed to consider the other evils Putin could inflict.  Some intermediate steps of escalation could lead to far worse outcomes for Ukrainians than they are experiencing now.  

 

How could that be?  As indiscriminate as a cluster bomb is, a fog of ricin laid down over a city could make Ukrainians pay a far higher price.  Thousands would perish.  Ukraine’s ability to carry out counterattacks or maintain defensive positions would be compromised.  Spreading an anthrax or Ebola agent through the water supply or through the air could decimate the remaining population while the invaders encircle a city ready to kill anyone attempting to escape the disease.  Of course, Putin could order the use of his “battlefield” nukes, the ultimate indiscriminate weapon.

 

I was wrong. Directly engaging Putin’s military could lead to far greater losses of Ukrainian lives, more suffering and perhaps leave Ukraine’s land uninhabitable.  Nuclear war between countries possessing hundreds of warheads, World War III or however the ultimate conflict is described is still unthinkable.  Confronting Putin directly might not go there.  But it could.  Confronting Putin could lead to chemical, biologic or battlefield nuclear attacks on Ukraine.  Easy orders for Putin to issue because he wants to do some or all of that anyway.  Doing nothing is still not an acceptable choice.  

 

The situation is complex, the possibilities are innumerable and misinformation is ubiquitous.  The mom giving birth while the hospital was bombed would not have been spared by a no-fly zone. In the midst of my outrage and urge to step between that mom and the pure evil attacking her, there is more to learn and more to understand.  So far the evidence is strong that the USA, the EU and NATO have done a remarkable job understanding the nuances of Putin and his war.  They have managed the response exceedingly well.  I continue to wish we could do more. Most of us want to alleviate the Ukrainians’ suffering as immediately as possible.  A simple search shows there are new ways to help being created every day.  People reaching out to support the Ukrainian spirit is the path to total victory.

 

I still believe Putin will not stop with Ukraine.  He is demented enough to use nuclear weapons, with or without provocation.  Understanding such autocrats and how to defeat them is information we obviously must seek.  Identifying the frailties in our democracies is critical to sustaining the institutions necessary to govern ourselves.  We must do better at all of that.  We must protect democracy by staying united and seeking truth.  We can never accept opinion as fact or trust information just because it supports our opinions.  

 

I was wrong because my opinion was driven by emotion.  There were many things I failed to see or consider.  I was only as good as the information I sought.  I was wrong, nonetheless.  I may still be wrong but I accept how much is left to learn.  Seekers are frequently wrong along the way but I hope to never stop being a seeker.  

                                                                                                                --td

(PS.  I do not intend for this blog to be a running commentary on the war in Ukraine.  There is plenty being written about the war and I encourage everyone to stay well aware of what is happening there.  I needed to write this post as a way to process my own thoughts and feelings for the Ukrainian people.  Answers elude me.  

Other subjects will be posted soon that are much lighter and more in keeping with my plan for this blog.  I look forward to the day when we all find it easier to smile than to worry.  Thanks for reading.)