How to Make Real Change in the World

 How to Make Real Change in the World

https://www.euronews.com/2020/09/10/belarus-unfinished-revolution 

https://europe.unc.edu/iron-curtain/history/the-fall-of-the-soviet-union/

Okay, there are issues in the World.  But, there are always issues in the world.  There is always greed, revenge, grudges, power, hatred, and other ills in the world.

I’ve wanted to write on change for several months now - but not quite sure how to start and where to go.  There is a change within a person - but, I want to talk about change in society. Let me highlight some of the things in my mind

I have been to Belarus twice, and my colleague, Andrei, from Belarus has been to the United States twice.  The reality is that he came for six months both times he came as a visiting scholar, and I went for five days both times I went there as a visiting scholar (since I had no Russian language skills).  

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The previous Belarus was “White Russia” as part of the Soviet Union  In some respects, I am amazed that the Soviet Union ever existed!!  There are eleven time zones in Russia.  One source said “It will take a minimum of 11 days to drive across Russia from Saint Petersburg or Moscow to Vladivostok. The route is about 9,700 km long and the driving time has reduced considerably since the roads have been significantly improved in recent years.”

And, how about train travel (aka “the only way to go”).  A source says “How long does it take to travel by train across Russia? Depending on the number of stops the train makes, it can take anywhere from five to eight days to travel across Russia. Ticket prices can be anywhere from $500 to more than $10,000, which allows for the most pampered class of service.”

Where the United States is four time zones - and by comparison “Depending on your route, the coast-to-coast drive across America ranges in distance from approximately 2,500 to 3,500 miles. If you're prepared to clock eight-plus hours behind the wheel per day, the shortest route should take four days and the longest six.

“In the late 1980s, the Russian Government (Gorbechev) tried to establish “Perestroika and “Glasnost”. ”Perestroika refers to the reconstruction of the political and economic system established by the Communist Party. Politically, contested elections were introduced to reflect the democratic practices of Western society and allow citizens to have a slight say in government. Economically, Perestroika called for de-monopolization and some semi-private businesses to function, ending the price controls established by the government for the past seven decades. The goal was to create a semi-free market system, reflecting successful capitalist practices in the economies of Germany, Japan, and the United States. Unfortunately, such an economy took time to thrive, and people found themselves stuck in a worn-out economy, which led to long-lines, strikes, and civil unrest.”

“The term “Glasnost” means “openness” and was the name for the social and political reforms to bestow more rights and freedoms upon the Soviet people. Its goals were to include more people in the political process through freedom of expression. This led to a decreased censoring of the media, which in effect allowed writers and journalists to expose news of government corruption and the depressed condition of the Soviet people. Glasnost also permitted criticism of government officials, encouraging more social freedoms like those that Western societies had already provided. Yet, the totalitarian state present since 1917 was difficult to dismantle, and when it fell apart, citizens were not accustomed to the lack of regulation and command. The outburst of information about escalating crime and crimes by the government caused panic in the people. This caused an increase in social protests in a nation used to living under the strictest government control, and went against the goals of Gorbachev.”

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The Soviet Union as an entity was an amalgamation of cultures, languages, religions, and ethnic backgrounds.  I was to Kazakhstan once on an accreditation visit and to Belarus.  While the Russian language was once supreme, each of those (now) nations had their own version of Russian.  

The Soviet Union collapsed on December 24, 1991.

From what I understand from my friend Andrei in Belarus, people were told to get to whichever of the republics that best represented them when the collapse occurred..  Andrei and wife Elena were ‘from’ Belarus and returned there.  

But, Belarus was also a combination of units - and while Andrei would have liked to be in Minsk, the capital, his family was in Gomel (also known as Homel) in the southeast of Belarus.  The situation in Belarus became dire as inflation ran rampant.  Andrei shared that when he got paid as a professor, he immediately went and exchanged his Belarussian Rubles for American Dollars. By the middle of the month before the next paycheck, he could start to exchange the dollars back into rubles with a difference of 10 to 15% because of the currency exchange.  Alexander Lukashenko became the President of Belarus in 1994.  As I understand, Lukashenko brought stability to Belarus in the form of off-time Soviet Communism.  The people were controlled, inflation was controlled, and stability returned.  

(Aside: My friend, Andrei showed me his ID.  On it was a triangle sticker that indicated he was from Gomel.  He had free housing, free health care as long as he resided in the Gomel region.  For him to move to Minsk, it would mean that he would have to pay for housing, pay for health care, and pay for other services that he received for free or limited costs in Gomel.  

His apartment was in an ugly old Soviet-style building of about 15 floors in a complex of about eight of similar apartment buildings.  There seemed to be no private houses. Andrei was amazed at the single-family dwellings in the United States.) 

(My opinions).  But stability led to concentrated power in Lukashenko’s hands.  Where once that stability now was more corruption and maintenance of the status quo.  Markets were controlled.  The state police were more like the old KGB of the old Soviet Union.  

With recent elections, the corruption and desire to remain in power seemed to result in a ‘rigged’ election with the opposition parties being arrested or fleeing the country.  That has led to protests across the country.

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Which really gets me to the original question - how can meaningful change take place in society?  In other words - do you have ‘evolution’ or ‘revolution’?

Some societies have had leaders (who managed to stay alive) that preached and practiced ‘non-violent’ change.  Such leaders might be Mahatma Gandhi (India), Martin Luther King (United States), and Nelson Mandel (South Africa).  

But, other societies (even the beginning of the Soviet Union) changed with violent overthrow (the “Russian Revolution”, the “French Revolution”, and others).  (I’ll call the American Revolution - most of a mix of evolution and revolution.)  

But, how does a society come down to evolution or revolution?  

And, what does that mean in the United States currently?  Do we need a change?  Are some citizens being short-changed?  Do we evolve through social change for black Americans and minorities or through riots and violence in the streets?  And, do American leaders understand the dynamics of such change.  

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Please understand, I am not an expert here - but throwing my thoughts around.  I have heard people (generally white people) saying “stop the riots”.  But, do leaders and politicians pay attention to peaceful protests and marches in the streets?  Does the ‘squeaky wheel’ get attention (that is, the noise and destruction of riots)?  Might it be best if a leader (politician) realizes that change is inevitable and works for peaceful change?  Or if a leader (politician) realizes that corruption and power are affecting his or her ability to lead.  When is the time to step down?  When is the time to seek wise counsel to manage change instead of trying to keep change from occurring? 

Let’s see where we go this week!!

LOVE WINS!!

HUGS!!!

Karen