APRIL 2022 BLOG - REFLECTIONS YARO

 

Dear reader,

 

I am writing this on April Fool’s day and everyone knows that this is the day where people “fool” others with pranks.

 

Ukraine

April Fools’ Day is widely celebrated in Odessa and has the special local name Humorina – in Ukrainian Гуморина (Humorina). This holiday arose in 1973. An April Fool prank is revealed by the saying  which means “April the First, I trust nobody” – to the recipient. The festival includes a large parade in the city centre, free concerts, street fairs and performances. Festival participants dress up in a variety of costumes and walk around the city fooling around and pranking passers-by. One of the traditions on April Fools’ Day is to dress up the main city monument in funny clothes. During the festival, special souvenirs bearing the logo are printed and sold everywhere. Since 2010, April Fools’ Day celebrations include an International Clown Festival, and both celebrated as one. In 2019, the festival was dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the Odessa Film Studio and all events were held with an emphasis on cinema.

And then came the greatest “Fool” – the Russian PUTIN who attacked Ukraine in February 2022. Here no one was fooled nor trusted Putin. And now the reality of this man as leader, is discussed all over the world. So, this blog is a reflection about the evil character that depicts Putin as a psychopath and deranged man.

A definition of psychopath

Psychopathic individuals do not show regret and remorse. This was thought to be due to an inability to generate this emotion in response to negative outcomes. However, in 2016, people with antisocial personality disorder and dissocial personality disorder were found to experience regret but did not use the regret to guide their choice in behaviour. There was no lack of regret but a problem to think through a range of potential actions and estimating the outcome values. (Wikipedia)

Those who study leadership will note that in times of crisis, the false leader will want and demand more power. Putin emerged as a false leader and started to take over a peaceful country – Ukraine.

His attempt to be all powerful and create history the way he wants it, has produced huge damage not only to Ukraine but to all of Europe. He is manifesting a high state of narcissism and psychopathy and that makes him to disregard any suffering because he only has self-interest and control in mind.

When the good leader does not sacrifice himself for others, others must suffer by being sacrificed by him. Putin harbours great delusions of grandeur (his inner circle call him (”Zar”) as a history making leader, and therefore is obsessed about winning at all costs. However, beneath this enormous Ego hides a great feeling of inadequacy and a deep sense of inferiority. He is hiding his fragility and a deep sense of internal weakness as a man. Any slight protest against Putin and his government quickly creates arrests and sending thousands to the Gulag internment camps.

 

The self-worth of a psychopath calls upon treating any encounter as a must win because loosing means total self-obliteration. Despite their exaggerated show of power, psychopaths refuse to accept the possibility that they are wrong even with ample evidence that all can see the facts.

In the case of Ukraine, Putin showed a typical reaction of a psychopath, he visualized a ‘united' Russia that included several countries, but Ukraine was the showcase of his attempt to conquer and win.

The Ukrainians are standing up to the enemy with admirable valour, but the cards are not stacked in their favour. Russian military planning might have been wrong in assuming that Ukraine would fold after a minor, light-touch “incursion.” If an easy military victory and a sustainable occupation overseen by a Kremlin-appointed satrap are out of reach, Russia’s firepower and the regime’s disregard for human life remain real. If Putin cannot turn Ukraine into a part of his demented dream of a new Russian world, he still has the capacity to reach for a second-best outcome by turning the country into rubble.

Time heals every wound and time will be telling the world what will be the next historical move and such moves are revealed in ancient stories.

I am now recalling an ancient story from India told by Michael Mead, my Mentor and mythologist. The story comes from the ancient VEDAS that are teaching and healing stories. Their medicine called AYURVEDA is one of the most effective medical practices dating back thousands of years.

As we enter a period in history where the so-called democracies are failing and autocratic leaders are emerging everywhere, this story teaches us to really understand the psychopath, the man of great hubris and enlarged ego. The story goes like this:

INDRA THE WARRIOR

INDRA is a prototype of a great warrior and leader. He came to fight the great Dragon VITRA who at that time personified draught and the resulting bad consequences of lack of water. INDRA won the battle, and the country was refreshed with the water of life. After winning INDRA was exhilarated and very proud of his success. Therefore, he decided to celebrate his victory by building an enormous palace. He called upon the great architect of the gods and the building begun. Yet, no matter how grand a luxurious the palace became, INDRA was constantly dissatisfied and wanted more. More rooms, more patios, more gardens, walls etc. Having won the battle he constantly demanded more work to the point that people could not respond to his demands and were very tired and down.

Eventually, the exhausted architect sought the help of VISHNU, the god of all creation to intercede and stop the arrogance and power-hungry INDRA. VISHNU came in as a beggar boy and entered by the side door of the huge building. This took the great king INDRA by surprise as the boy began to speak about the matter of the cycles of life and time. A mere child spoke so wisely about how this word in its fullness works and then only to disappear again.

As INDRA listened to this boy, he noticed a procession of ants entered the great hall of the palace and slowly made their way between INDRA and the beggar boy. The boy looked at the ants and laughed out loud. INDRA did not understand what was so funny and became worried. The boy pointed at the procession of ants and explained that each ant was formerly an INDRA. Each ant won many great battles and ascended to great heights of power, and each rode the crest wave of history. Each had become victorious and then, at the end, a lowly ant. Each victory lasted only for a moment as if a blink of the eye.

INDRA was shocked and instantly forgot his great plans and wild designs in the presence of genuine knowledge. The boy, who was WISHNA himself, helped INDRA to awaken to his ego dreams and in his awakened state, INDRA decided to leave all the trappings of fame and grandiosity and went to live in a cave high in the Himalayan mountains.

 

I do not expect that Putin will be enlightened no matter what story or facts will come to him from all over the world, but we all can learn from the story – that there is hope and hope is eternal.