Ukraine's elimination or Armageddon?
An open letter to President Vladimir Putin
No hammer to pound no sickle to swing
https://www.meer.com/en/72023-ukraines-elimination-or-armageddon
16 MARCH 2023
Jeffrey Levett
International Gusi Peace Prize Laureate
Honorary President, World Philosophical Forum, Athens
Russian President Vladimir Putin reading letters from his admirers and detractors
After a year of nonstop warfare, Russia, Ukraine and the world are in a worse position than when conflict re-erupted. No international organization committed to improving the state of the world has yet succeeded. Divisiveness and inequality are growing at an alarming rate, economic sanctions prove once again to be a poor and often a counterintuitive instrument, armies are being destroyed and civilians killed, hundreds of thousands of lives, people around the world are going hungry, feel cold, COP has opted-out, the nuclear threat has surged and pockets have bulged. Ukraine is in ruins and life there though resilient as all life is, is difficult to survive. Meanwhile, there are false beliefs of victory. The outcome scenarios described range from the elimination of Ukraine to Armageddon.
Ours is a world of depleted empathy ruled by social dementia with an insatiable thirst for gain, surrounded by the natural and awesome beauty and enormous human talent. Recklessness now outweighs diplomacy and higher brain centers are being squeezed out of geopolitical decision-making by lower centers. Cerebral forces are now destructive to evolutionary processes that lead to human consciousness. Without the humane efforts of world leaders to reduce inequality, emphasize meritocracy and institutional autonomy and give education a more philosophical bent leading to life’s fulfillment nothing much will change and the suppression of critical thinking and freedom of speech will worsen
The ongoing arms race with its colossal profits, their sale and transfer, the weakening of democracy and its institutions as well as Treaty failure make peace promotion much more difficult. In a world of gloom and doom where Peace is absent and the application of Philosophy is urgently needed. The World Philosophical Forum, Athens urges that classical philosophy be revived to support new educational systems and structures characterized by universally sensitive nurturing, upbringing, civic education for active citizenship, and lifelong learning. Although the world has not yet understood and maybe the decision makers do not wish to understand, herein, is given an opportunity to act differently.
My repeated and conscious request for an audience with you comes as the Honorary President of the World Philosophical Forum, Athens, founded by Igor Kondrashin, a prominent Russian philosopher. I have no advice, intelligence or solutions to offer you. A few requests yes! Our meeting will be eminently symbolic, if granted it will certainly be designated counterintuitive but with the promise of initiating a butterfly effect.
Mr. President, I have no moral maxim, no hammer to pound, no sickle to swing and no ax to grind. My base of influence is first and foremost the concern of a global citizen for the way of the world. Secondly, it is to strengthen what the Athens-based World Philosophy Forum can do. My perspective is that the world’s population needs relief from inequality, which drives thoughts and actions of resentment and protestation. It needs food and water security. It needs shelter and warmth. It needs relief from displacement and war. It requires a reimagined life. Only Philosophy with its principles and teachings can put people and their leaders more in touch with wisdom Reason, Wisdom, Justice, Morality, and Responsibility and imbue them with the competence to extend their influence to weave a virtually unfaltering social, cultural, and religious balance and coexistence with cooperation. If Armageddon is just around the next corner, Google will not tell us. Under the prevailing circumstances of our world doing nothing is not an option for the World Philosophical Forum, Athens. We remain hopeful that our small voice will resonate globally, sooner and not too late, in NATO, the Kremlin, and the White House to convey our grave concern for the fast track train crossing over Homo Sapien’s bridge of extinction on earth as carriages are decoupled that contain concepts of a culture of peace, a society for all ages, a health-for-all strategy and applied principles of human security for mankind.
I will come to Moscow in hope that the conflict in the Ukraine will become a well-remembered historical event as the Cuban Missile Crisis is today, a benefit to our children and our children’s children. I will come in peace, in the name of Peace and on a mission of peace. I will also come in the name of my Uncle Joe, whom you know as Joseph Stalin. Turning to the war-injured colonel Vorapayev, Stalin in Crimea asked, What are the most urgent needs...people, clever people, said the colonel..., Stalin continued – unfortunately, we have too many officials in Moscow and too few leaders in the provinces while Lena added they don’t report the truth to you (Stalin)... it’s all plans and plans but what about us human beings? All will be revealed Mr. President during my audience with you.
Although WWII ended in 1945 the struggle against fascism is far from over. It is ever-present today in countries that suffered greatly from it. How can I ever reconcile that British soldiers were shot with bullets made in Manchester or that Russian soldiers battled against American-made equipment used by German troops? We simply live with it, while trying to make the future better. Stalin knew not then what the future held for the Soviet Union as you today do not know what lies in store tomorrow for Russia nor I know what the world will be like for my grandson when he reaches my age. The omens however are informative. Beria said no to Stalin’s call to stay the execution of George Eliava a leading public health expert who was executed together with his entire staff and Polish wife an operatic soprano having denounced him as an enemy of the people; instead of syphilitic jealousy as they were both involved with the same woman. Felix d’Herelle a nominee for the Nobel Prize and narrowly escaped. Nikolai Vavilov died of starvation in the Gulag eating frozen cabbage and moldy flour after spending a career traveling the world collecting and storing seeds on what he called a mission for all humanity. Today, putting experts at risk is not an acceptable way; the world over we have too many scholars at risk. One is a marine biologist Volodymyr Vorovka, who disappeared late in 2022.
It is incomprehensible how an 82-year-old pacifist catholic nun broke into the inner sanctum of a Trident nuclear submarine weapons complex in the USA, which brought her a prison term in the time of Covid. it is totally understandable that an audience with you Mr. President and is highly improbable. The probability that you will ever see this document approaches zero with its statistical probability being 1 in 24,6213,620. On higher authority the High Priestess of Delphi told me that the probability of being received in audience already recedes rapidly. Noting my apprehension she said not to be disappointed in failure; many others have seen their tremendous efforts crumble, heard them, described as worthless, vacuous and their letters dead, even before sending. Without change, caterpillars would never become a butterflies and the butterfly effect null and void. To exist in the world philosophically is an act of reasoning within reasonable relationships towards it.
Let me just say that in Chicago and the Summer of 2019, I proposed that at these times of poor geopolitical relations between nations, a reexamination of past experience in brain research between America [left brain-split brain] and Russia [right brain] and the dichotomy of bionics-bioengineering may prove a useful communication channel opener and a useful tool to rapprochement. I suggested that neuro-physiological thinking can be applied to improve decision-making in international confrontations and to conflict reduction policy. The historical background of international brain research can serve as a door opener. No one listened! It is being used as a hidden persuader to enhance consumerism.
One year ago the World Philosophical Forum (WPF) made an appeal to all world leaders for the application of classical philosophy to world affairs but nothing happened. Instead the can of concern was kicked further down the road into a deeper-dead-end profit corner from weapon production weighing down pockets, while a special operation in Ukraine with the dreadful and macarbre potential to end all wars on earth with no survivors to launch another if not stopped now. Can world leaders flag the signposts to the future by an adjustment of the present stance to meet its needs of a direction contrary to the said can’s and in alignment with that of the World Philosophical Forum. our direction is rationality, wisdom, and morality. Indeed it is a case of who’s afraid of Virginia Wolf.
Mr. Putin, you have the power to convert dark tidings into silvered linings and set a geopolitical example. My personal commitment and individual power do not let me give up on peace knowing that crimes against peace is infinitely profitable to some and sweet to those who have not tried it. With a stroke of your pen Mr. Putin, Alexei Navalny can be free and Volodymyr Vorovka can be found. Peoples the world over, Russians and Ukrainians want to eat better, live in a healthy environment and breathe freer in a secure community.
In Malaysia on World Philosophy Day 2022, colleague Fidel Gutierrez Vivanco from Peru presented an Analysis of peace as a desire of humanity and gave clues to its achievement while colleague Steven Roy told us that in 5000 years of civilization wars have been absent less than 10% of the historical time. The first tells us that war is the search for peace along the wrong path and depends on truth. The World Philosophical Forum, Athens appealed with the words as human beings to human beings: remember your humanity, and forget the rest written in the Russell-Einstein Manifesto, 1955 on nuclear disarmament. These words spoken at a time of development, decolonization and disarmament are a much more relevant guide today than ever. To which I add while we exist we should act philosophically.
Mr. Putin It is time to discuss peace here and now and for the sake of Russian troops. Even temporary peace is better than war. The World Philosophical Forum, Athens is also searching for ways to convince the West to orchestrate a peaceful break to halt slaughter. An audience with you combined with parallel activities could provide catalytic enthusiasm for an initiative as discussed at the New Year 2022 during a Russian mission to Athens. It is of the utmost importance to organize a dialectical symposium between West and East with a few politicians but mainly with philosophers, psychologists, and brain experts to explain how the utilization of its scientific instruments can lead the World to peace. I remain optimistic for a butterfly effect!
Mr. President you do have the
power to grant the World Philosophical Forum an audience as well as call off
attacks on Ukraine’s fragile electrical grid in what is now winter. The Russian
winter brought French and German armies to their knees; it should not take down
ordinary people.