Several weeks ago, the phrase too little, too late entered my mind. An example in my private life qualified for that phrase. Subsequently, the Russian invasion of Ukraine took place. Some opinions argued that the Western response qualified this phrase. Most were surprised that it did not qualify.
I think, feel and believe that too little, too late is our default human response on a micro (ie, individual) and on a macro (eg, national, international) level. Why?
In my view, it relates to the cycle of Doubt, Fear, Hope & Love. Doubt and Hope are probably the two most common & frequent stages in our lives. Fear and Love are probably the least common & frequent.
Whenever we have doubt or hope then our efforts will qualify for a too little, too late response. Once Doubt or Hope are betrayed by Fear then it will trigger our Fight or Flight response.
Eastern European countries always had their doubts about Russia (eg, Lithuania, Poland). Western European countries always expressed hope about Russia, despite ample evidence to the contrary, like the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. As a former DDR citizen, Angela Merkel should have known (much) better.
Betrayal is not one of the seven deadly sins (ie, pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth). However, betrayal is the worst of the nine circles of Hell in Inferno by Dante Alighieri (c.1265-1321). Source: “And finally, the 9th circle is a direct betrayal of God or a benefactor’s trust and love“. Note: bold markings by LO.
Trust between people (micro) or nations (macro) is essential for human cooperation. Love and Fear are the two primal emotions in our lives and the basis for all other emotions (eg, my 2016 blog).
In April 2019, I published my blog Trust, including the diagram to the left. Trust requires an alignment between someone’s deeds, words and intentions.
Why did we ever trust Russia?
The simple explanation is that we did not believe Russia’s (aggressive) words. Moreover, Russians have a habit of lying (eg, my 2019 blog).
With hindsight, Crimea should have been a wake-up call as deeds + words revealed intentions.
Since 2014, the American political scientist John Mearsheimer (b.1947) has claimed that Ukraine is the West’s fault. I doubt that self-determination by a person (micro) or a country (macro) can ever be considered a “fault”. Once independent, it’s their legal choice given their priorities.
Perhaps, Ukraine was wrong in applying for an EU membership and a NATO membership, while knowingly provoking Russia. However, those memberships were highly unlikely before the Russian invasion of Ukraine,
Blaming the West and/or Ukraine for the Russian invasion might be an entertaining intellectual debate for some people. Ultimately, it’s irrelevant because neither the West nor Ukraine is the aggressor. Russia is.
Too Little Too Late (2006) by JoJo
artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless in quotes or stated otherwise.
0 Comments