“All Partial Evil . . .”

The title of this piece is a quotation from Alexander Pope’s “Essay on Man.” It continues: “universal good.”

I was reminded of this when reading the following comment in a news item concerning the recent tragedy that killed so many of Poland’s leading citizens:

“Moscow's handling of the tragedy has won some admiration in Poland.
Witold Waszczykowski, deputy head of Poland's National Security Bureau and one of the few Kaczynski aides not to have been on the flight, said: "We did not expect this gentle, kind approach, this personal involvement from Putin.
"Naturally it will have a positive impact on the relationship between our countries."

Relationships between Russia and Poland have never been the easiest because over the centuries Poland has suffered a great deal from Russian domination and ill usage. It is therefore very encouraging to learn that the Russian Prime Minister’s response has been so kind and understanding. Perhaps it is a sign that the ‘great bear’ Russia is finally emerging from its self-imposed isolation which began with the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. Since then Russia has faced a great deal of hostility from the capitalist nations and especially from Hitler’s Germany during world war two. Fear was, as it usually is, the foundation of this hostility and fear has equally been at the root of Russia’s isolationist response.

The capitalist nations feared the spread of Communism, which in the McCarthy era in the United States and in Hitler’s Germany, was carried to ludicrous and dangerous levels, accompanied in the former case by a ridiculous increase in the nuclear arsenals of both the USA and Russia that are only now being seriously reduced. However Communism could not have been the sole cause of the fears of other nations for of course, Napoleon tried unsuccessfully to crush the Russia of the Tzars. Also, even since the collapse of Russian communism, the suspicions of other countries have scarcely been allayed. The sheer size of Russia and its, to Western eyes seemingly strange and uncivilised traditions, had long caused fear amongst other countries. This despite the pre-eminence of Russia in the ballet and the long line of dancers and composers it has produced.

I understand and sympathise with anyone from Poland who reads this and objects that the loss of their President and other leading figures can hardly be considered “partial”. However, to be realistic, although the extent of the tragedy cannot be overemphasised from Poland’s viewpoint, in terms of the world at large it is not ingenuous to consider its effect as partial. If, on the other hand, the reaction of Russian officialdom to the disaster is an indication of a more constructive and sympathetic approach to other, particularly smaller, nations then it truly will be for the universal good. The people who perished in the plane crash will not have died in vain.

As a Spiritualist of course, I do not consider that they have died at all and I am sure they will be looking on from the spirit world to see if in fact their untimely departures have produced opportunities for a better world that are indeed being pursued constructively. A time of tragedy is not the worst time for us to examine the wider picture and ponder upon the true nature of life in general and human life in particular; to try to make sense of all the apparent paradoxes in life. Back in the eighteenth century, Alexander Pope did much of the groundwork for us and I recommend reading his “Essay on Man” as the natural starting point for such an endeavour.