The gut-wrenching pictures and sounds of the invader and bully pounding on the innocent people of Ukraine right in front of our eyes makes people around the world want to go to their aid and take the Russians out. The call for a no fly zone and even troops to cancel this animal rises out of the emotional roller coaster caused by innocent families and their children killed and displaced for no credible reason.
After all, NATO sits there, next door, with the power of its vast armada that can take out this monster only a few miles away. The argument encourages the United States to lead, as many fancy it to be, the world policeman, and do the things it has done in other parts of the globe.
The dilemma this time is that we are dealing with the second most powerful nuclear armed nation and one that is erratically trying to reestablish its former relevance in world affairs. A direct military challenge to Russia risks the threatened use of ICBMs on land and sea and the use of armaments left as the principle legacy of the old Soviet Union. That enables the tyrant to temporarily keep humanity at bay while he acts out his criminal behavior.
In my years at Horace Mann in North Denver I frequently was faced with challenges to fight by a gang or an individual egged on by his group. My instincts told me to take them on as they were making my life miserable. My intellect told me to hold on and wait for the right moment when I had the advantage. I did both as children do when their thought processes are immature.
One of the major characteristics of building civilizations is the development of reason as a method of organizing our life. That does not change the fact that we are emotional beings that instinctively react to what we perceive around us and how we are affected by it.
Those are two principle sides of our nature that require some sort of balance that can keep us on the road to our destiny. It is true, however, that sometimes we do get out of balance to such extreme that the only perceived solution is war. That is where we are right now. The drums of war are sounding for the defense of Ukraine. For freedom loving people and for the sake of humanity it also appears to be the right thing to do. Yet, when we step back and think, we realize that we should not solve a problem by creating an even greater one.
We need to achieve balance on the issue that looks to help Ukraine survive short of making war on Russia as well as develop a solution that will eventually defeat a tyrant that leads a diminished country looking to get back in the game.
This is one of the moments when our hearts are saying one thing and our minds another. Both are valid expressions of our culture and our nature. There is no need to draw a line between the two. Rather, we should use everything we know and are learning to protect the weak and punish the aggressor.
A civilized world will find a way and balance to do this. The unity the free world has achieved in dealing with this aggression is essential to an eventual solution.
It is a question of war and peace. It is also a question of our hearts and our minds.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of la Voz bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.
