Liberation and Russia-Ukraine Crisis Part 3

 

            In this turn, let me divulge on the importance of a single word – 'Liberation'. It has quite a few meanings – freedom, emancipation, deliverance, release, discharge. While there may be many inferences to the word, two connotations strike me the most in the current context: 1. Freedom or discharge from the current phase or work 2. Emancipation from the present life to a greater one. Everyone works for these two objectives to attain peace and harmony in their lives. Both are very striking and haunting to me and let me delve into each one a bit deeper.

            The first one – discharge from current phase, is practised by one and all whenever someone is entrapped in their routines and wants to escape from the trap. To escape is an art and to return is a science. This is as such due to the importance attached to safe passage or more commonly ‘escape’ feat. It is to attain freedom for oneself, get peace and help the self. When you are at peace, you spread peace in the outside world as well. When you are in order, you spread order in outside world. When you are disturbed, confused and out of order due to the struggle in entrapment, you radiate and spread the same commotion.

            For the health of the body and the health of the surroundings, it is very important to ‘liberate’ from a phase. It is equally important to return and continue from where you left for the good of one and all. Deep down, I feel like I am trapped ever since the past 7 years. There is a time when I felt no one should escape and it is highly sub-standard to do so. I used to dislike those who escape as well. Thinking as such, I continued like an entrapped soldier working for my good and good of everyone else. But there came a point when the outcome of the bonded labour in bondage is more fruitful when freed than otherwise.

            All I desire is freedom from my bondage at an apt time and return to bondage once again. This is a luxury which very few can afford as many are tied with chains of Karma resulting from past actions. To struggle for liberation and freeing from this slavery is in the better interest of one and all. Commotion, war or haphazard pictures of outer world are the representation of the inner self. Continuing on and on and on in the wretched state of entrapment signifies a wretched life and no one should ever face this torture. There will be many who enjoy the sorry state of a poor person but the greatest deed you can do is to liberate him from this bondage. For example, a politician cannot remain in power forever without getting liberated or dethroned. It is the duty of the opposition to free from this bondage and no one can remain in power forever.

           In a certain other perspective, a significant outcome of leading a continuous, entrapped life is you are living less for yourself and more for others. You might be selfish if you escape but Godly good for others when you continue. You continue like a God and become one with God when you lead a public movement for the good of public over many years. When the ‘I’ decimates and leads to the emergence of ‘We’, it leads to manifestation of God within you. You might go to a temple and view the idolization of inner spirit.

            The second one – Emancipation from this life, speaks about this connection of achieving the emancipation from the present life and getting reunited with God. This is the ultimate liberation which we all should aspire in our lives. We should walk in the path of achieving Nirvana and lead everyone else also to achieve the same. That is the meaning of true life and true liberation. For example, Gautama Buddha in ancient India led one such life and directed many others to attain Nirvana or salvation. His teaching is based on his insight into the arising of suffering or dissatisfaction and its ending—the state called Nirvana (vanishing or extinguishing). According to Buddhist tradition, after several years of mendicancy, meditation, and asceticism, one can be awakened to understand the workings of the cycle of rebirth and how it can be escaped. This escape from rebirth and getting united with God is the liberation of highest order. The struggle in this life should end in the emancipation of one and all. Any great public movement should have its sole objective of leading the public towards highest form of emancipation. From the two connotations of liberation, I would like to achieve the first one in short term and second one in long term.

           Without much prolongation, let us quickly take stock of Ukraine-Russia crisis which has been started under less than a month. The invasion which was started in the last week of February has entered into 4^th week and it is in the greater good that the war ends immediately. From the words of Russian President, he indicated that Russia does not want to occupy Ukraine and the military operation is for ‘self-protection’.  This statement is highly autocratic and begs for purpose and objective of the war.

          The war does not have a concrete rationale and justification as to why it is being waged. Russia annexed Crimea earlier and is it planning to annexe Ukraine altogether? The Presidents statement contradicts this, then what is the purpose behind 64 km of Russian military convoy approaching Kyiv. Why is Russia dismantling Ukraine and every reason behind it self-contradict itself. What can be inferred is the Great Russian military build-up – like the country which is once great, is a master plan of months together to achieve nothing or create nothing in Ukraine.

          We are witnessing a unilateral autocratic monopoly unfurl its high-handedness without heeding to sane voices world-over and heading to spread anarchy in a peaceful country without any provocation. Connect back and remember that when the objective is missing, you do not liberate any person but merely destroy. You are misguiding crores of your own people into a pointless, redundant, and uncalled for war and destroying crores of people on receiving end. Guide them into a path of liberation and not lead them to nowhere.

           A war needs concurrence of views from all major directions and the climax should lead to a fruitful outcome. This war has been rejected by everyone with no proper climax in sight. Even the international court of justice (ICJ) has ordered to halt the Russian invasion of Ukraine as it did not see any evidence to support the Kremlins justification for the war. For instance, if India invades Pakistan over Kashmir, there can be proper justification. But leave alone Pakistan, India does not even invade Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK). India, much like U.S., believes in Reaction and defence, rather than action and attack.

           A war signifies the character of a country and the present one does not shed any bright light on Russia. It is time to listen to the sane truth, follow the truth alone and stop the needless aggression. We took stock of coronavirus and tried to bring normality back. In the same way, let us restore normality in Ukraine as soon as possible. Let us re-open those great universities which educate thousands of foreign students and let us tame the war-mongering Russians. It is high time, people of Russia and military of Russia cede to accede the wrong directions of the leadership. Let us pray for peace and the universal cold war of every sane person in the world wins over the Russian hot war. Finally, let us pray for a change in mind of the leaders to abandon invasion and the collective pressure of everyone else wins over the determined intent of invasion.