After the August 2020 presidential elections in Belarus, after abductions, beatings, torture, the moral positions of the Lukashenka regime were shaken.
A huge number of people recognized Lukashenka's actions as immoral. Among these people were officials, who expressed condemnation .
Lukashenka deftly removed the disaffected and appointed loyalists in their place. New, loyal, officials either remained silent or spoke out in support of Lukashenka's regime.
Familiar words were spoken about the enormous achievements of independent Belarus under the leadership of Lukashenko. If these achievements were expressed in the conquest of the world's competitive markets, then these wonderful words could be trusted. But the achievements came through the "ability to agree, to negotiate". This is also an achievement, but not "a huge achievement of independent Belarus."
The people of Belarus took into account both the statements of individual officials and the silence of the rest of the masses of officials.
Moral discussion tried to move into a public environment that is least subject to administrative pressure.
Which person is relatively independent? Writer, Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich? She's under pressure. She is forced to leave Belarus.
The press of Belarus exerted and continues to exert a huge influence at social processes in Belarus. It is hard for Lukashenko to kick against the pricks - that is, against the press, but he is trying....
The press reported on the outstanding works of Belarusian artists who have been behind bars. This assessment of the Lukashenko's regime can never and anywhere be able to hide. But the assessment of artists - it is expressed in images ... And who freely, clearly, convincingly, authoritatively will express own views in words?
Gradually, it came to the athletes of Belarus.
The Lukashenka regime itself has created a wave of praise in favor of the athletes. (And what about engineers, and people of creative professions, and scientists, and businessmen? ...).
In Russia, they created a fashion in actors and athletes, and in Belarus, perhaps, in athletes ...
Athletes are relatively independent people! They have achievements, records, titles! No regime can deprive an outstanding athlete of his achievements!
Let the athletes speak up!
What could the athletes say? Like all people with an individual conscience, they condemned mass torture, beatings, and repression ...
But Lukashenko's regime turned out to be quite energetic.
He began to remind outstanding athletes of state support.
Many athletes had to reflect about it. The situation is indeed dialectical. Where is it written how much and to whom to allocate money? This is the goodwill of the relevant officials ... And Lukashenko deftly plays on the naive pride of Belarusians for the achievements of independent Belarus during the rule of Lukashenko.
Endless maneuvers around the coat of arms, around the symbolism ...
A new theses:
(1) the gentry (members of szlachta) converted from Orthodoxy to Catholicism. Hm ... It is better not to recall the establishment of the university in Vilna (1570 ... 1578) by the Catholic bishop Valerian Protasevich (who was born near Minsk) without a clear necessity; Lukashenko recently presented to the Belarusian National Technical University the Order of Labor Glory ...;
(2) in general, in antiquity, images of horsemen were common, and in the Middle Ages they often depicted Saint George; whereto is directed the horse's tail on the historical coat of arms "Pahonia" ?
Soon, instead of a knight, Lukashenko will be depicted on the coat of arms with a Kalashnikov assault rifle? ...
(In many countries, the Kalashnikov assault rifle was depicted on the coat of arms. So let's not speculate where the horse's tail is directed - up or down, not think about ancient images of horsemen, about variants of Saint George images, but add to the image of the Kalashnikov assault rifle an image of Lukashenko in a cap with the word ' Belarus" on the cap - and the new coat of arms is ready! And about whereto the horse's tail is turned (directed) ... I have another question - the knight is depicted at how many state coat of arms?)..
Personally, I like the coat of arms with the image of a knight (regardless of the direction of the horse's tail) rather than the coat of arms with the image of a Kalashnikov assault rifle. (What caliber? What is the capacity of a magazine? What is the design of the assault rifle sight? What is the carrying strap and what is it made of?)
So, the work, talks was organized with the athletes.
Those who acted according their individual conscience condemned the Lukashenko's regime for repression ... They found themselves in a risky position for many reasons ...
Those who were naively proud of the achievements of independent Belarus, who saw Lukashenka's achievements in Belarus's achievements, they signed a special letter-statement with loyalist statements ... These people hoped to maintain their financial level ... Still, such statements are objectively not worth much, they are a perishable product and are quickly forgotten by the authorities ...
Day after day passed, and the World Ice Hockey Championship was getting closer.
It turned out that the theme of the World Ice Hockey Championship was superimposed on the moral confrontation in general, on the moral confrontation of loyal and honest, sincere athletes.
Aliaksandra Herasimenia was very active. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya made statements.
Suddenly, a new-old picture opened up in front of everyone.
Behind the internal Belarusian disputes about the morality or immorality of Lukashenka's actions, there is a common European morality!
This is the same morality that has united Europe and the Western World for 2000 years!
A huge wave of public opinion swept over the topic of the World Ice Hockey Championship (originally, this World Championship was partially supposed to be held in Minsk, in Belarus).
It turned out that Europeans, residents of the Western World are familiar with the topic of the murder of Roman Bondarenko in Minsk.
And Roman Bondarenko is not a stranger to many Europeans. (Are the events in Belarus the beginning of the crisis of European morality and European democracy?)
Excellent interview of Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen on January 12, 2021! ((https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/umarmung-mit-lukaschenko-rene-fasel-es-ist-bloed-gelaufen-und-mir-auch-peinlich) (https: //by.tribuna. com / hockey / 1092880862-fazel-o-vizite-v-minsk-k-lukashenko-io-sovestnom-foto-poluchilos-nemn.html? utm_referrer = https% 3A% 2F% 2Fzen.yandex.com))
The intra-Belarusian moral problem has quite unexpectedly reached the European and global level.
European business made a statement in favor of common European values.
And a new-old reality of pan-European, Western solidarity appeared!
Residents of Belarus who want to live in a European country, all those who actively sympathize with them, feel a great sense of gratitude for the manifestation of European, Western solidarity with European Belarus!
[An explanation: 'It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks'. (Acts 9:5-6).]
January 18, 2021 20:28
Translation from Russian into English: January 19, 2021 00:54.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Моральная высота. Очерк'.