MAY 12, 2022 – (Cont. See 5/10/22 post) The public misbehavior of my two countrymen was unsettling. Throughout my formal education—and in life generally—I’d been no stranger to debate. But exactly how, I wondered, could two Americans aboard a Russian train become so locked in dispute as to lose all self-awareness—especially in the absence of alcohol? I pondered the question as the train charged deeper into the endless Siberian wilderness. The 14-day train ride provided ample time to reflect.
In the letter home, I expressed some of my thoughts:
“From the boxing match in Compartment No. 2,” I wrote, “I learned a bit about influencing people politically. To be persuasive one must be concerned with facts, logic, and values. The easiest component is logic, for it is the only fixed element. Facts are more difficult. Too often an argument is won by the participant with a superior quantity of facts. On other occasions the sources and arrangement of the facts can be manipulated to twist the truth but win the debate. Values are the most difficult element: there might be agreement as to facts and mutual acceptance of logic, but how can differing value systems be reconciled? I guess I’ve cracked open a Pandora’s box of philosophical questions. Perhaps we should close the cover and shelve the box for future, fireside chats.”
Now, 41 years later, I see the fight between Doug and Karl, liberal and conservative, as a harbinger of the raw polarization that now afflicts our nation. I worry that our divisions—aggravated by the broad distribution of disinformation—will widen under our antiquated Constitutional framework; that “the house divided cannot stand.”
At the time of my rail journey across Russia, few people predicted the demise of the all-powerful Soviet Union. Likewise, scarcely anyone prophesied the downfall of the United States. Ironically, the primary, self-conceived quality of the leading Eastern power (“union”) mirrored the leading self-proclaimed feature of its principal Western nemesis (“united”). Yet, having witnessed the disintegration of the USSR, we can more easily countenance the “disunification” of the U.S., especially given our increased polarization. As it turns out, despite each side’s arsenal of nuclear weapons, neither nation was as monolithic as it appeared.
With Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, however, will his attempt to reconstitute an empire bring renewed vigor to a divided America? In the long-established political pattern of nation-states, will external conflict camouflage internal entropy? Like dying stars mimicking former dominance, will Russia and America become red giants before their final implosions?
It seems that the core flaw of the USSR was “dishonesty” in all its manifestations, from the false depiction of “the good Soviet life” in a grade school primer (See 5/7/22 post) to the propagandistic deification of Lenin all across Russia. Truth can be denied, disguised, and deferred, but like gravity, it cannot be ignored forever. This axiom applies with equal force to America, where many people still believe the “Big Fib” and call the violent attack on the capitol a visit by tourists.
(Remember to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.)
© 2022 by Eric Nilsson
