FREEDOM OF WHAT? PRESENT WAR!

The title of my essay " FREEDOM OF WHAT ? WAR!" is a reflection of our recent life experience. The question always is 'Are we really free ?' and the answer is 'In limitation Yes!'. Freedom can be described for certain circumstances as what we are allowed to say or do. It is within the limit of Democracy and Liberty were given to us by laws.

Social freedom has been described as a community we are expected to respect the law and regulations to live in peace with each other. We are free to air our ideas, opinions and views in public or through media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin or newspapers as long as the rule of respect for other people's views is obeyed. Also, we are free to vote to choose the people who will run the country on our behalf and implement our best beliefs whether they are left, right or centre of politics. Next four or five years these people run our lives by making judgements for day to day living. From taxes, health, education, justice, immigration, war etc., Whether it is the president or prime minister of the country whatever he/she decides plays a major role in our lives. These people are no different from us but mostly they come from backgrounds of well educated and brought up by wealthy families who choose politics for a living. In general quality of our lives will depend on the judgement and methods they will use to implement.

At this point, I shall question the 'Freedom' in public life in Russia and Ukrania. These two countries were part of the Soviet Union till 1991. They spoke the same language, had similar customs and traditions and lived together in peace. They are still the same civilization. In 1994 with the new Russia, Georgia and Ukraine were given independent state status by promising to give up their arsenal and weapons and become neutral states where borders could not be violated. But both sides one way or another did not keep the agreement and wars with Russia happened. In Georgia, when the war started with Russia West did not bother. Russia forced his requests and made her silent. This was not a war crime! Now with Ukraine because of West countries' interests, today's war eventually happened and is continuing and it is a war crime.

The Soviet Union was a communist country. Individual citizens' freedom was limited and they had to live with those strict regulations for nearly seventy years (1922-1991). The three generations of the Soviet Union did not know the meaning of Freedom (including Ukrainians). When the new states of Ukraine and Russia were set up people had to adjust to the new liberation, freedom, democracy and rules. If any civilisation had been brainwashed over a century with communism (or any other political move) you do not expect the population to understand the meaning of freedom. That is the main problem of today's war in Ukrania.

Putin is a dictator better described as an autocrat/tyrant for his people. He runs Russia with an iron fist with his government of selected individuals who will support his ideological communism basically trying to bring the old days of Stalin, Lenin without freedom. Russians can not raise their voices, be critical or against his policies and his type of bullying tactics. The way he was involved with the Syrian war was an army training exercise for his ambition to invade the east part of Ukraine in due course which happened. Did the Russian public have any say in any political decision he made? No. They do not have the Freedom to have that. Did the Ukrainian president consult his people who vote for him, and made him president about the decision he made war against Russia? No! Because all leaders are judgemental and believe their decisions are best for their people. As a consequence of these choices, they made, today Ukrainian lives are battered, ruined, people are homeless, and millions are immigrating which is a human tragedy. Another side of the coin is collateral damage done to the cities of Ukraine that are unrecognizable and have to be rebuilt. Probably when everything is settled, war is over, the president won't see the rebuilding of these cities and lives, getting back to normal during his lifetime.

Freedom does not allow us to kill people. If it is violated for that purpose punishment for murderers is long prison sentences or the death penalty. Only animals kill each other whether to defend or feed themselves. We kill animals whether for pleasure or to defend ourselves. But killing each under the name of war just for the sake of political ideology makes us worst than animals. Human lives are never that cheap to waste for proving a point.

Ukraine/Russian war is not for freedom. It is created to cover up the shortcomings of both governments' economical problems. People are paying for it with their lives. As far as Western countries are concerned they will pick up the pieces when everything is damaged, rubbled and ruined by investing billion dollars to improve their economies under name of improving people's lives. Suddenly Red Cross, Oxfam and UN Aid Dept., will start in the media asking for help for these people. It is like rewatching the same film again. History has many similar wars. We never learn!

Note: Thanks to Cottonbro from Pixel for the picture provided.