I Don't Understand

I don’t understand. There are many things I don’t understand, but what I am struggling with is how in 2022, we see atrocities against humanity repeated over and over again. As I watch the story of the war in Ukraine unfold, I am baffled. I don’t understand human nature. I find WWII gruesomely fascinating. I have read many books about WWII from the Jewish and German perspectives. I read these books trying to answer my own question; how did this happen? What I find more disturbing than the atrocities committed against the Jewish population is how decent, civilized, and in all regards, good human beings allowed this nightmare to go on. How does one enable their civilization to become so uncivilized?

How does a country of individuals buy into such propaganda? How does a leader of a civilized country gain that much power? How does one convince an entire population to go along with sheer evil? I understand not everyone believed in the leader and propaganda, but sitting back and keeping quiet while this brutality went on is unfathomable to me. Turning against your neighbor, friends, and family because the government instructs you is beyond my scope of understanding. Living in an atmosphere driven by fear and turning your eyes away from what is truly going on confounds me. I just don’t understand.

We are watching Putin isolate his people, censor information, build a propaganda-driven campaign, and make what I simplistically call a land grab. How does this happen in 2022? Aren’t borders and countries already established? We’re not living during the crusades; it’s 2022. The start of WWII was more than eighty years ago. How can a leader’s tactics be so similar to what happened eighty years ago? I just don’t understand.

I don’t understand being power-hungry, greedy, or cruel. I don’t want to understand any of those things. However, I also don’t understand how one man can bully and convince an entire population to go along with his insane plan. I would never make a good soldier because I question everything. I don’t want to hurt people or see people hurt. I don’t understand how war and following orders exonerate one from basic human decency.

I looked up the list of war crimes to better understand what is going on in Ukraine, and I cannot believe we have to have written rules to not murder, rape, enslave, or commit genocide. Seriously, do we have to have this in writing and voted upon by the entire world? WTF? What is wrong with humanity? I just don’t understand.

Today, dear reader, stay safe, be smart, do something good to combat all this evil, and keep washing your hands.